Agent Mars: Codename Eclipse
by 122 Generation
Summary: The International Police is running desperately short on staff and field agents. So when a former criminal is recruited to work alongside a veteran agent and a foregone lab subject, how will this unlikely partnership work out? Spy-story style, continued from Catharsis. (Occurs before OR/AS)
1. The Pokemon Regional Union

**Hello, hello! It's been a really long time since I've published a new story, and I've been thinking about this one for a while, so I'm uploading the first chapter as a concept idea. It'll get better, I assure you, but there are limits to how much _time_ I can expend on it, given university. Still, it wouldn't hurt to do a spy story, yeah?**

**For those who are concerned, this is a really, really, expanded spinoff of the Catharsis series.**

**There have been partial amendments made thanks to Farla.**

* * *

_**Chapter one: The Pokémon Regional Union**_

When breaking news appears, it's usually never good.

However, only a small amount ever is.

"_Today is a historic day for Sinnoh, and the entire world: every known region today has allied together to form an international organization for the purpose of promoting international security, prosperity between humans and Pokémon, trade, and much more. Additionally, this international organization will be backed by Pokémon laboratories and supported by the Pokémon Leagues as well. That being said, this organization will try their best to optimise cooperation between regions too. Ladies and gentlemen, this phenomenon created today is simply known, and presented as, the Pokémon Regional Union._"

The TV screen flashed an image of the Unity Tower in the Unova Region.

"_The United Nations has chosen to be based in Unity Tower in the Unova Region. Here, international trades were accessible to begin with, but the PRU has decided to take steps further to developing economic cooperation between regions with the Elite Four and Champion from each region to be the official representatives of their respective homes. Speaking of which, the Pokémon Leagues will be attending their first meeting in one week, where regions will finally get to hear each other's voices for the first time._"

And then the screen flashed off.

Mars took a while to take in the news she had just heard. Deep down, she was really happy that regions no longer needed to live in isolation (as she read in the local newspaper, Unova had never seen a Sinnoh Pokémon until a few of them had made their way there by ferry…). Now, the world might seem to get along even better…

She reclined on her low sofa, in her home in Floaroma Town. At this point, she could only think of the benefits of what the PRU could bring. Now, with the PRU, she could actually market her berries to the international market!

_I'll just need to get a permit to be able to sell the berries…_

The ex-commander of Team Galactic got up to grab her laptop to search the web for a permit.

* * *

As she predicted, Mars couldn't find a permit at all from the Pokémon Regional Union, but common sense told her that the PRU hadn't discussed international trade yet. The PRU had just been formed, after all. Maybe she was rushing it.

Mars simply switched off her computer and sighed.

It had been at over a year since she had been cleared from the records of the International Police and was now a legitimate Trainer residing in Floaroma Town (courtesy of the Pokémon Ranger Kellyn). Now, there was ample time to live a simple life, and she hadn't run into anything that interrupted her life since then. Well, if not counting an inception job she did with a team a while back which had nearly cost her life.

In short, her life was fine.

"Well, Purugly?" she said to her most entrusted Pokémon. "What do you think of the PRU?"

Her cat-like Pokémon shrugged and gave a sound of approval. Mars shook her head, but added a smile to it.

_An organization to promote economic prosperity… I wonder how much more they could do. Maybe at the meeting… hmm, maybe they'll present their ideas at the meeting… sheesh there are so many ideas to think of…_

Mars figured that _that_ was something beyond half of her understanding.

_The world has been so quiet_, she thought. _And now it's going to get even better. Galactic Energy Limited might as well be the official power supplier of the PRU, ha!_

At that, she continued to think of ways that the PRU could benefit the world, particularly viewpoints of supporting Pokémon Centres and Pokémarts. In spite of her thoughts that these were beyond 'half' her understanding, Mars decided to make the most of it. Trade, security, rights…

When she had been working for the former Team Galactic, the only objective in mind was to fulfil Cyrus' wishes, and that the thoughts of the common good never occurred to her. Now that the introduction of the PRU actually brought some sense to her, Mars figured that common rights should certainly be considered. Ironically, Team Galactic had been soon reformed into an energy company…

_But come to think of it, each region alone is prosperous already, so why the hassle?_

Free trade never seemed to be much of a thought for her. From what she knew, the Hoenn Region distributed Lava Cookies as their primary export and the Johto Region manufacturing impossibly powerful and fantastic medicines. Still, it seemed that each region was basically self-sufficient.

But then, the thoughts of the Orre Region flashed for a mere second in her head, and figured that the idea of free trade was soon justified. In light of that, the Orre Region never had an actual government… who were they to send to the PRU?

Thoughts about security also gave Mars a thought. From what Mars had heard on the recent news, there had been at least one hostile team formed in each region and her prediction was that the PRU would try to put a halt to that by setting… whatever measures would be necessary to do so.

The PRU would probably take care of that.

Mars slowly got up and looked at her Pokémon. Her Bronzor was freely roaming around her house while her Kangaskan was lazily lounging on her sofa. Mars sighed and looked at her remaining Pokémon (Purugly and Marill) who were sleeping.

_I guess you guys are tired too._

Lastly, Mars walked over to her newly purchased platform (guarded by a cubic glass top with a secure steel frame that showcased all her currently owned Gym badges in its respective case. With the berry business that Mars had been going through, and not to mention other requests from the Floaroma community, she really had no time to collect her final badge at Snowpoint City (and she was slightly lazy to venture through Mount Coronet as well).

The thought of the Sinnoh Pokémon League Championship might also be something to consider, but Mars wondered if it would ever be regulated by the PRU or just the regular League…

She got up and glanced at the newspaper lying on the floor. A picture of the Unity Tower, surrounded by at least a dozen flags at ground level, stared back at her.

And then a knocking came at her door, interrupting her thoughts.

Mars raised an eyebrow, as if she were surprised. But she pushed the thoughts away and walked over to answer the door.

* * *

**There we have it: the beginning of 'Eclipse'. Let me know how this idea appeals to you!**


	2. A Choice to Serve

**This spy story is still in progress, but I'm entering my reading break right now, so I think I'll make some use of it on the site.**

**And consider how obvious this chapter is... (KEY WORD: obvious)**

* * *

_**Chapter two: A Choice to Serve**_

The room was a bare, white, concrete, case decorated in nothing but white walls and nothing more. Mars glanced around the room, and could tell by the atmosphere, and breathing, that she had to be underground somewhere. There was a white table accompanied by black chairs and, behind a barrier, a door. Only some merits and certificates on the wall could Mars verify where she was.

Of all places Mars could think of never going, it was this: the secret undercover office of the International Police.

"If anyone ever told you this, we'll just assume that no one ever did," said the IP agent sitting opposite from her. "First of all, my name is simply Looker. I am an elite agent of the world-recognized International Police."

Mars remembered this strange fellow. After all, she had narrowly escaped arrest from this very same agent during the events at Stark Mountain. It seemed like a lifetime away.

"There's no need to explain who you are, I've read your file!" Looker said coldly. "You are Mars, a former leader of Team Galactic and yet you somehow managed to escape from our grasp…"

Mars had heard this story at least a hundred times and was surprised that Looker, of all people, would bother reminding her about it.

"But that time has passed, and I've been told by the police office in Veilstone City that you're free to go as you are vouched by a Pokémon Ranger," Looker finished. "Consequently, you are hereby a legitimate Trainer –"

"You dragged me out of my home," Mars interrupted, annoyed. "Make a long story short, please. Why am I here?" It wasn't a question.

Looker shook his head, but obliged to Mars' demand. "As you've probably heard on the news, (yes, I've read this on your file) the Pokémon Regional Union has just been formed, and the responsibility of the PRU's safety ultimately falls to the International Police."

Mars tapped her foot, and waited for Looker to keep speaking.

"For me, I am consequently tasked to oversee the 'blind spots' that security may have left out," Looker continued. "However, I feel that I may be facing a threat greater than I can imagine. Therefore, it would make the most sense to bring an entire investigation team to ensure the safety of the PRU as they hold their first meeting."

"O-kay," Mars slowly said, beginning to make sense of what Looker was going to say next. "I suppose you want me to help you out?"

Looker glared at Mars suspiciously. "How do you, Mars, know so much?"

"It's so obvious!"

"In what way is it anywhere obvious?"

"So you can't _see_ the obvious?"

"I didn't say if there was!"

"I knew… because it was obvious!"

"Are you inferring that I don't know what I, Looker, am talking about, is obvious?"

"Yes, of course!"

"There you go!"

"No, no! You're not seeing the obvious!"

"So what if I couldn't?"

"But you're an agent of the International Police…"

"Isn't that obvious? Now you have just formed a contradiction!"

"So that should be considered obvious?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?"

Mars arched her head upward, groaned and frustrated, and looked back to Looker's eyes. Looker, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows and continued to talk.

"Last night, there was a report of a break-in at Unity Tower. We only knew because a night patroller had spotted a suspicious figure leaving the building," Looker reported. "At that point, I was assigned to protect the PRU upon their first meeting."

Mars had her attention.

"Now, I know this may seem ridiculous, but my intuition as IP tells me that there is a possible terrorist plot against the PRU, and I intend to uncover it."

He looked at Mars, who seemed a little stunned, but could also see she had a grip on herself.

Mars, with many, many, diverse thoughts surrounding her mind, said, "It seems interesting, but what does this have to do with me? I'm not International Police material, and I don't have the kind of training that kind of qualifies for this stuff, anyway."

"I, Looker, wanted to bring an investigation team to help out on a more thorough scale, but the Unova authorities wouldn't allow a major presence of International Police to intervene until two days prior to the meeting of the regions. However, I fear it may be far too late by the time that happens."

Mars looked up, and said, "Why won't the Unova authorities allow the International Police to participate in the security? It's your responsibility, after all!"

Looker stood up and walked around, which eventually turned to pacing. From the looks of it, it appeared as if Looker was troubled, or wanted to think of an appropriate answer for her.

"Unova would just prefer it if the International Police were to handle this as a regular routine for now, and considering that we don't have enough evidence to support our outcry that there is a terrorist plot… we'll only go as far as maintaining entrance security and basic security principles in the building. My investigation team will handle the most part in the two days prior."

He stopped pacing, straightened his trench coat, and went to take his respective seat once more across from Mars. With a file in his hand, he opened it and silently read the whole thing. Mars, on the other hand, waited for the IP agent to speak.

"You. Mars. Although you had a criminal record, I know where you were during your participation," he said. "You spent time venturing to places like Spear Pillar, Mount Coronet, Stark Mountain, carrying out your duties for Team Galactic…"

_Great… and now you're going to arrest me_, Mars thought.

"… and that's exactly the kind of endurance I'm looking for. Therefore, I want you to assist me with the security measures and my investigation, at least until the end of the PRU conference. It's your choice to serve the good of the world, if you will."

_What?!_ Mars thought, her entire self instantly surprised.

And as if Looker had perceived her thoughts, he said, "Don't assume that I don't know what you're thinking, I can see it in your eyes. No, no, I knew that you had a criminal record cleared the moment I checked on you. But on a serious note, I'm dead serious that the world may depend on the safety of this meeting. If anything bad happens…"

There was a moment of silence, a long one that followed. It's not that Mars _needed_ to think about it, but that she needed to comprehend the possibility of being an agent as well. Even so, it was a good idea, but it needed a good purpose…

"Okay, I understand that serious international affairs like these have reason to be – like – guarded by the International Police, but I'm more interested in what all this 'terrorism' is about," Mars said. "What have you found about them?"

Looker was silent for a while, and Mars wasn't surprised. For a piece of information linking to the basis of what the International Police was investigating on, Mars could tell that it wouldn't be right or even legal for Looker to tell her about it.

"That's classified info," Looker replied.

"And if I join the International Police?" Mars asked.

"Then I'll tell you."

It felt like a new career had opened to Mars, and like Team Galactic, it put her life on the line. The only difference was that this career was on behalf of justice, and the risks were a lot higher. As a Team Galactic commander, Mars had enough firepower and backing to carry out objectives, but as a new agent… what kind of support would she get?

Looker perceived her thoughts again. "You will get elite training from the IP. Then again! You trained under Team Galactic too. This shouldn't be a problem for you, and you'll get the full support of the International Police abroad."

This left Mars completely speechless. "How do you do that… reading my thoughts?"

"How do I know these things? It's my job to do that."

Even so, Mars stood up.

"I – I need some time to think about it," Mars quietly said.

"Of course! Take your time, and it's valuable to use it."

* * *

**What, exactly, is obvious here?**


	3. Mars: Agent Eclipse

**I notice that a lot of people aren't noticing this fic! That's a shame. I hoped this would be an interesting read too...**

**By the way, did anyone notice the 'obvious' debate in the previous chapter? Well, another one will be subtly included in this one...**

* * *

_**Chapter three: Mars: Agent Eclipse**_

Mars spent the better of three hours pacing back and forth in the foyer of the International Police office. Officially, the secret office's whereabouts were top secret, hence its name. Unofficially, it was located somewhere in the vicinity of Hearthome City, so Mars couldn't afford to expend time going back home to Floaroma Town.

True, it was sort of a big risk to take a short career as an agent of the International Police, and not to mention it was a risk in itself that she could be facing death. However, as Looker had pointed out, she had the kind of experience to go out into the field. Unfortunately, Mars never felt like going back out into the field since her days with Team Galactic.

_And yet there's so much to be depended at this very first meeting of the PRU_, Mars thought.

It looked as if she could just walk out and wish that nothing happened, but at the same time it would somehow make her feel guilty for allowing the wide possibility of terrorism against the PRU to happen as well.

_True, Mars, you've worked for Team Galactic, and for sure you've done evil things, but didn't you physically learn anything while you were there?_ Mars thought, trying to motivate herself.

Apart from doing dark deeds, Mars _did_ have to endure walking from Lake Verity to Eterna City to the then-Galactic HQ and then to the Spear Pillar, albeit she had to get it done in the fastest time possible whilst maintaining stealth and cover. It took punishing, but effective training to match up to that standard.

In short, Mars, hence Looker's words, definitely met the criteria to become a qualified field agent for the International Police.

She had a choice to make.

* * *

Half an hour later, in one of the smaller meeting rooms, Looker was studying and several files and documents relating to the Pokémon Regional Union investigation, each at least several inches thick. True, it was a stressful job to look into them, but as an agent for the International Police it was part of his career to do so. He could examine a whole page of research, taking in all key facts and details within seconds and would be on to the next page.

And then he heard knocking on the door.

"Come in!" he said.

Looker raised his head briefly from the files he was looking at and raised an eyebrow. Clearly, he either expected that it would Mars or it wouldn't be Mars. But the one person he had his thoughts centered around regarding his Pokémon Regional Union investigation, was Mars.

"Have you made your choice yet? We don't have a lot of time."

Mars stiffened at the thought of her answer.

* * *

"So what's on your suspects' list?"

"Fanatics! Those who believe that Pokémon should be free. These people are the kind of sort that acts like the then-Team Plasma. In a way, it should be denoted there is some logic in their approach to Pokémon: that Pokémon should never be used for battling. To prove their point, they have been long-suspected of committing a series of attacks on Gyms, Pokémon Centres… the typical crowd."

Looker passed the file across the table to her, which Mars looked into.

"There was a quote from the Kanto Elite Four whom these fanatics have long opposed: the quote being that 'Pokémon should be used only for battles'. While there are some who would find this quote despicable, the actions these fanatics have measured unacceptable levels! The idea. Pokémon should be free, but they blame the Gyms, Pokémon Leagues, and Laboratories for the outcomes."

Mars shook her head. "So what does this have to do with their opposition to the Pokémon Regional Union? It's not like the PRU _want_ to oppress Pokémon, eh?"

"That's the thing! Free trade is what these people oppose, because they think that non-tariffed products will compromise each individual region's economy and will prove worse for the Pokémon! Furthermore, a security council is said to be initiated, and the fanatics assume it's an excuse to capture Pokémon without reason! Supposedly they want to 'stand' for the regions' protection, which is why."

Mars rolled her eyes. Whatever these people Looker was talking about had in mind were delusional in her opinion. Perhaps there _was_ a good reason why she decided to join the International Police after all.

"Economic cooperation is another key aspect the PRU will be focused on, yet the fanatics figure that each region is doing well enough on their own and like free trade will compromise prosperity in their respective economies."

Mars raised her eyebrows, which forced Looker to explain a little further.

"In short, they don't feel like supporting other economies because they don't want other regions to 'tell them what to do'. There have been peaceful protests, but the fanatics take things further and start bombing PRU-related connections too."

The room suddenly felt colder.

"So what is the International Police going to do right now?"

"The first General Assembly of the Pokémon Regional Union will occur in one week and of course the International Police will already be taking covert measures to ensure general security of Unity Tower. However, for us two agents, we have been given an assignment to investigate what the fanatics may be planning."

Mars felt back into her seat to take in the facts. After a few minutes, Looker continued, but not before passing another photo to her.

"This file has been just posted. There has been a suspicious report from local police these fanatics may have been manufacturing their explosives here, and I want you to handle the investigation," Looker said.

Mars stared at him.

"Are you willing to take on this risk?" Looker stared back.

And then…

"In short," Mars said, voice filled with an edge of steel. "You are recruiting me, or if not that you are going to use me."

Another moment of silence fell immediately after Mars' cutting words. But to Mars' surprise, Looker responded with a quick grin.

"Not recruiting, not using," Looker explained shortly. "But _employing_."

Mars lifted up her head to think. To think that the IP was going to use her, and Looker made a simple counterattack by saying it was employment. Therefore, she was going to get paid to do this kind of work.

"Then of course I'll join!" Mars replied, with a wide smile. "Back in the Team Galactic days, like you've said, I've faced a lot worse. I can handle this."

_Talk about a quick response,_ Looker thought.

"Still, will I get any backup of some sort…?"

Looker stared off into space, thinking of an answer. "Yes and no. As agents of the International Police, we use local police to support us for certain situations such as this one, and rarely do we send more than one agent in the field. Fortunately, you will support me and my investigation team when the security of the PRU is overseen. For now, you will accompany me to check this possible bomb plant."

The meeting was coming to a close, and Mars knew that. However, before she could leave, she wanted to ask Looker yet another question.

"You said that we're assigned to oversee the PRU security, correct?" Mars asked. And when Looker gave her a nod, Mars said, "How exactly are we going to do that?"

Looker got up, paced around the room, and sat down on his seat. Normally, questions like these were left to superiors, and it didn't help knowing that the answers to those kinds of questions were, legally, classified.

"You know, Mars, I'm not allowed to say much. What I can tell you are that since the International Police must keep their operations secret, and although Unity Tower is under IP protection, we two must actually infiltrate the building to monitor it if we don't want to draw attention to ourselves. An investigation team inside the building is out of the question, at least until two days prior. So for the first bit, the investigation team will only be available to enforce external security. "

"For our part, we need to do some spy work. Fortunately, I've told you already that the IP is responsible for PRU security on the days the meeting takes place, so when you become an agent you'll be eligible to receive undercover authority to investigate the tower. But I'll brief you on that when the bomb investigation is complete."

Mars stood up. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"No!"

"No?"

"No. You will first and foremost need a codename, which is IP standard. That and… other gadgets…"

"I get gadgets?!" Mars exclaimed, face full of optimism.

"Yes, but first… you must attain your codename…"

Mars shuddered.

* * *

Although Mars most felt comfortable wearing a dress and sweatpants, she had to swap those for black dress pants, a white dress shirt, all-purpose outdoor shoes (though to Mars, they certainly looked like leather), and a black trench coat. But for the sake of dress purposes, Mars wanted a dark red-and-black tie (whereas Looker wanted her to wear a blue one).

Two hours later, Mars was finished. Looker returned with a box in his hands.

"While you were getting all suited up, I already applied for the IP office here to give you your IP badge. However, you still need your codename… what would you like it to be?"

Mars stared, lost in thoughts.

When it came to Team Galactic, she attained her name Mars because it mainly related to Team Galactic's theme of space and planets. While Saturn and Jupiter had their codenames, Mars' was… the name she had from birth.

But nevertheless, since Team Galactic already made up the thoughts in her head, and that they were things that Mars could relate to, so be it. The only thing left was to make _one unique_ name that would set her apart from Team Galactic, yet would retain its qualities like Team Galactic.

"Any names…?" Looker said impatiently. Time was running out, and if Mars was going to take this long he might as well give her one himself.

Alas, his decision was spoken for.

"Eclipse," Mars replied, finally coming to the decisive conclusion. It was the one name that would make sense, with nothing to give away. Although it kind of reminded Mars a little of Team Galactic, she also knew that the said team never had a name quite like it.

Looker laughed.

"Eclipse it is then! Henceforth, you to the International Police will address you as Eclipse, agent and officer of the IP. This name will be classified so no one else will know about this."

Right after that, Looker gestured for Mars to the hallway. Mars, puzzled followed Looker past several other rooms where IP officers were either conducting experiments or overlooking training sessions. Meanwhile, Looker opened the door to a nearby room.

"In here, we will need to document and archive your own profile, as well as having your picture taken, so they altogether will be used on your ID card. This will be separate from your Trainer ID, I assure you," Looker explained.

In no time at all, Mars was standing in front of the camera, face neutral. (FLASH) and soon she had to fill out the profile form in front of her. Sitting down, she remembered that she wasn't alone: Purugly's Poké Ball was safely attached to her belt. With that in mind, she continued to fill the form.

* * *

"Welcome to the International Police, agent Eclipse," Looker stated, giving the ID card and finally handing the box he had earlier over to Mars.

She opened the box and shook her head. Inside it was a blue International Police officer's hat, and some sort of communications device.

"Well… I suppose it's nice…" Mars said, trying on the hat. "But when do I get gadgets?"

Looker smirked and shook his head.

"One would say you would come here just to look at our gadgets. However, you must wait: because we will need to head outside in order to obtain them."

* * *

**Well...? Is it good? Obvious?**


	4. The International Police Gadget Master

**Yup, here's the obvious, obvious, next chapter! Thanks to W0lfWarrior and Commander Jupiter, not to mention Platinum, for your feedback, obviously!**

**I still feel guilty for uploading this chapter, though, as I want to write other chapters in other books like Inception, but I want to get this off my mind. And, I should really be studying for midterms, as a university student.**

**Here's the 'obvious' read!**

* * *

_**Chapter four: The International Police Gadget Master**_

Now what Mars _really_ didn't expect was that the gadgets Looker was talking about would not be found in the IP office, but outside of it. In fact…

It was just a technology studio: a place where people come to purchase computers, laptops, or even televisions. To Mars, it looked nothing like what would belong to the IP. Was Looker even being serious?

"You show signs of doubt," Looker plainly stated, looking at Mars' expression. "Is this not what you had imagined, or even had in mind?"

Mars shrugged, proceeded to follow Looker into the store.

Literally, the store looked exactly like a typical technology retailer. People were examining and browsing through store items, while others were either asking employees for help or purchasing their goods at the main cashier.

Looker, ignoring the people in the store, marched straight for the main counter where two employees, both female and pretty, were helping customers with their respective duties. Behind the two employees was a man who what looked to be the manager.

"Now if you happen to be dissatisfied with the product," the manager said to his customer. "You will be granted a two week warranty period before you consider returning it. But nevertheless, I think you'll be fine with it."

The customer nodded and went on his way. Immediately after that customer left, Looker marched to the desk.

"Good afternoon sir! I'm looking for something to take to Orre and Unova."

Suddenly, the friendly emotions of the manager became neutral, eyes full of realization.

"Ah, Orre and Unova. Yes."

He gestured for the two IP agents to a side room in the store, to a door with a red label reading "**STORAGE**" and they went right into the room.

Of course, the sight did not impress Mars at all. It was basically just a typical 'storage' room where whatever spare supplies and extra computer parts that were needed for the shop to use. There was nothing of ideal value in there, if not counting the used hard drives and RAM.

"A simple mechanism engages the elevator by torque alone," the manager explained, moving over to one of the bulky racks placed against the wall.

"If not a manager, what's your name?" Mars asked.

"My name is of no importance," he said. "But anyway, I go by Atelier. Can't you see the nametag here? I suppose you didn't, but you can tell me your name. I already know Looker here, so…"

Mars was just about to edge out her own name, but it appeared that Looker had planned one step ahead of her. He raised a hand.

"Your _codename_," he warned.

Taking the simple instruction into thought Mars nodded and looked to Atelier's direction.

"My name is Eclipse, I'm simply a new worker for the IP," she shortly explained.

Atelier smiled, "Pleased to meet you Eclipse," he reached for the side of the rack and grabbed it a quarter of the way above center and pressed the rack down to the floor.

"With the application of torque, I only need to give as much force as I can before the elevator starts up. It's ingenious, really, because no one would spend any given thought on torque!"

Mars rolled her eyes, waiting for whatever could happen next. A secret elevator would probably pop up somewhere, like what she would see in classic movies. But of course, wouldn't that mean that if someone were to break into the store, the storage room would also be compromised?

However, what Mars wasn't expecting was that the room (or at least the floor) began to sink downward. At first, she shuddered at the feeling that she was being travelling downward whilst feeling the opposing force from her feet up to her head that made her feel weightless.

"This is the best way to conceal a workshop like mine within a legally operating retail shop," Atelier explained.

That was unexpected.

The lift (or the floor) finally came to a halt, and Mars found she was looking at a spacious room illuminated by lights infused in the ceiling. Several tables lined up with mechanical parts and tools while others had messily placed papers piled on top of it. Mars could not believe that a person like Atelier could actually _be_ messy. After all, he seemed organised enough when he was operating the clothes shop.

"I keep my special supplies in here, not where the public is allowed," he said.

Atelier gestured for Mars and Looker to follow him to a polished mahogany table and to take a seat in the leather armchairs provided.

"Shall I get you any drinks?" he offered.

"Uh… tea, please," Mars asked. "Cream and sugar."

Looker pondered a moment before saying, "Coffee, please. Cream and sugar as well."

Atelier went over to quickly prepare the requested drinks, served in frosted glass cups, and brought them over to the table served on a tray.

"A while ago, Looker here was sent on a mission to infiltrate the Pokémon League in Unova," Atelier explained. "You might say that the gadgets he brought were… interesting. But sadly the IP didn't approve of Looker's gadgets after the mission, so they employed me to make some."

"What kind of gadgets did Looker make?" Mars asked, curious.

This prompted Looker to bow his head in shame, as Atelier grinned and went to a display rack showcasing some gadgets, in which he grabbed two and brought them back to the mahogany table. When he placed them on the table, Mars could only _stare_.

"Wha – what is this?!" she continued to stare.

"This is the so-called International Police Secret Weapon No. 13: the Unbelievable Metamorphosis Set," Atelier said. "Looker used it to maintain a separate identity, but the superiors at the IP identified Looker instantly, so the gadget was defective," Atelier grinned. "That being said, it was invented by Looker."

"It was of no importance," Looker interjected. "It was only so I could slip into the League without anyone noticing that I was undercover."

Mars burst into a series of laughs.

The so-called gadget looked like a joke. It was merely a pair of glasses with fake lenses (that had small eyeholes cut into it), an oversized nose, and a large mustache. In Mars' eyes, there was no way that this could ever be considered a 'secret weapon'.

"There is nothing funny about that," Looker coldly said, but Mars just kept on laughing. Even Atelier managed to keep smiling.

"Anyway, here's the next gadget Looker created," Atelier placed the other gadget on the table. Mars finally calmed down, but still tried to suppress a few more laughs she had when looking at the other gadget.

It looked like a cross between a sophisticated telescope and a pair of glasses, where the frame was like a normal pair of glasses, but the telescope itself stuck out of where the lenses should have been. To Mars, it looked _ridiculous_.

"What's it called?" she asked.

"International Police Secret Weapon No. 1: Excellent Scope Ver. 2," Looker answered this time.

Mars could only laugh at the name.

"Seriously, are those really the names you could think of?" she said between laughs. "The 'unbelievable metamorphosis' set and 'excellent scope ver. 2'?! I'm surprised it's even called 'secret weapon number 1' on your list! Even Team Galactic grunts back in the day could think of smarter names than those! It wouldn't make the gadget so _obvious_."

That brought Looker to his senses this was Mars, and had resurrected the 'obvious' debate.

"What I name my gadgets is supposed to make sure the names don't deter themselves when I'm dealing with criminals," Looker said in hopeless defence. "I've faced criminals countless times and they never discovered what they were! And above all: not _obvious_."

Mars and Atelier looked at each other, and they both shrugged.

"It's probably because criminals never touched your gadgets anyway," Atelier said, finally bringing the argument to a slow stop. "Speaking of gadgets, stay here and wait for me to present you with mine."

The first gadget that Atelier brought up was a scanner that certainly had the appearance to be attached around the ear. The fact that it had an earpiece suspended in the centre meant that it had to be put on the ear altogether.

"This is one of the gadgets of the IP at pinnacle level: the e-Scope Lens Mark VI (that is, 6)," Atelier explained. "It looks small, as the gadget itself only needs to fit around the ear, with the earpiece in its respective place and the lens doesn't seem to be present."

It was true. The bulkier part of the gadget, at the spot that was the side of the head, contained the essentials of the gadget. In spite of being bulkier, it was still proportionally thin enough to not stand out on the head's side. The bottom line was that that was all: just an earpiece to attach on the ear, a piece to attach behind the ear, and a thin scanner, but no lenses.

"Go on, Eclipse, try it," Atelier picked up the e-Scope Lens and gave it to Mars to experiment with it.

Upon receiving it, Mars was surprised at how light the scanner weighed. To her next surprise, as she tried it on, she found that it was astonishingly rigid when it came to putting it behind her ear. The scanner itself rested comfortably on the side of her head (having a matching height of Mars' ear), and the friction provided by the gadget disallowed any chance of it coming loose from her ear.

If nothing else, her hair was enough to keep the gadget concealed.

"The Mark VI of the e-Scope Lens enables you to use the gadget in a very covert method," Atelier continued. "There are two ways: you can either physically touch it or you can blink three times in succession as an alternative."

But Mars had no exact idea what he meant. There was no lens. As far as she could tell there was only an earpiece and its respective counterparts surrounding it!

"Just _will_ the gadget to activate," Atelier said.

So Mars blinked three times.

She failed.

And failed _badly_.

"Eclipse, it's a physical term," Atelier said, half-amused that Mars tried to turn it on with her own hands. "The fact that it can't be physically turned on by someone else means that only you can turn it on, provided that you're wearing it. Otherwise, you could let agent Looker to use it when –"

"No need!" Looker cut in. "I still have International Police Secret Weapon No.1: Excellent Scope Ver. 2!"

Mars shook her head, but Atelier seemed fine.

"Alright, I'll try again," Mars said, trying to focus on what to do with this thing.

_It can't be a physical thing, Looker said,_ Mars thought. _Therefore, it's non-physical, so it has to be none other than mental. Impossible! But it's worth a shot._

So Mars willed the gadget to turn on. She blinked three times in succession.

In an instant, the thin box-like gadget popped open and several light rays shot out of the box to beam sideways stretching across only Mars' eyes. Through Mars' eyes, she could see an overwhelming amount of technology put into the e-Scope Lens. It was incredible that this was pure light she was looking at. The light had no frame, yet it looked like it traced perfectly across her eyes.

Mars finally understood how complex the making of this gadget was.

"Clever light refraction is all that's needed to customise this gadget. With this, you can magnify to a distance of a maximum 500 metres (547 yards)," Atelier said. "One of the best parts of this thing is that it gives you direct access to our resources with the International Police via computer and satellite, as well as uninterrupted communication with HQ and Looker. With the resources in mind, you could target several individuals at once and our databases will provide you with whatever information they can supply. Simply ask who the person might be, and the database will get to work. Given that you could identify them, you could also listen in on their conversations, even if there's a wall or window between you."

"WHAT?!" Mars exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise. "How – what – HOW can you even do that?! It defies logic that you could _hear_ through a wall!"

Atelier smirked. "There's a reason why this e-Scope Lens is called the Mark VI. It's the best engineered scope lens we have to date! When we had the Mark I, the distance it could get was a mere 10 metres but it was good for scouting a short distance nonetheless, followed by the Mark II which could magnify 25 metres; the Mark III with 50 metres; the Mark IV with 100 metres, and finally the Mark V with 250 metres. Audio capability wasn't even possible until the Mark IV came along, and at the time it wasn't even that well-developed. Furthermore, the kind of light screen you see right before your eye is the second of its kind after the Mark V, and communication and data transfer didn't come until the Mark IV. You should consider yourself lucky for getting your hands on the Mark VI, because it's near impossible to have such a sharp screen and create a range of 500 metres whilst still maintaining a sharp audio, and data transfer with HQ is at its smoothest yet!"

"So, any questions?"

Mars was dumbfounded at the amount of information she was given in a single speech. While it didn't take _that_ long to process everything, it still needed some time.

"So in the event that the Mark VI runs out of power, assuming it does run on power," Mars said. "How am I supposed to recharge it? I can tell that with this kind of technology involving light, it must be very power-consumable."

Atelier looked offended.

"This is the _Mark VI_!" he emphasized. "I've engineered this thing to be the best it can be so far. Of course I've thought of _that_ area."

He detached the gadget from Mars' ear (it didn't hurt, rest assured) and showed a glass-like surface on the box-like gadget's side.

"This is a solar panel," he explained. "It can automatically recharge the gadget if you leave it out in the sun, and also the consumption of energy for the e-Scope Lens Mark VI is 80% efficient, so just ten minutes of direct sunlight should be able to sustain the Mark VI for an hour."

Mars raised her eyebrows.

"Of course, since the gadget will be well hidden in your hair," Atelier continued. "Sunlight will be hard to reach which is good, because you definitely do not want it to be seen. Still, a few glimmers of sunlight could give you precious minutes of gadget time."

The IP agent Mars could easily ask another question with that reference.

"Is it anywhere effective in the night?"

Again, Atelier looked very offended.

"_This. Is. The. Mark. VI!_" he shouted each word in chunks. "Of course there's night vision! However, in order to be undetected during a stealth mission the scope lens Mark VI will have its light screen reduced to a darker tone of colour in order to blend with your surroundings but it will illuminate your eyes at the very least, lest the mission should get compromised. I'll show you."

With successive snaps of his fingers, the lights in the room went out. Mars then saw the light rays in on the scope lens reduce to about half the lighting, and it was sharply visible.

Atelier turned the lights back on, set the scope lens on the table, and pulled out a pair of black-framed medium-sized sports sunglasses.

"If you think that the e-Scope Lens Mark VI might be to blinding for your eyes, you can always customise the amount of lighting and brightness however you want," Atelier explained. "If all else fails, you can wear these sunglasses."

Mars raised her eyebrows. "What do they do?"

"They protect your eyes from the sun," the gadget master said, with his tone making it sound extremely obvious. "However, its hidden functions are more complicated than that. There is a little chip in the side which can link with the e-Scope Lens. While you're wearing the scope lens on your ear, you can casually wear the sunglasses as if you're putting them on normally, and the sunglasses will automatically establish a connection with the e-Scope Lens. However, you may manually attach the two pieces together if you desire. In effect, all the capabilities of the gadget will be transferred into the sunglasses for you to use. Since the images are one-way, the sunglasses are an excellent cover for using the e-Scope Lens in plain sight. These sports sunglasses are useless without the scope lens and, of course, they protect your eyes."

Atelier brought out the next gadget: a laptop.

"It may look small, but the amount of mechanical engineering and programing should prove its worth," Atelier said. "This computer is solely made for crippling entire security systems and seizing control of entire buildings as well as their electrical systems. Just turn it on, plug it into any given outlet in a building, and take over the place."

He disclosed a cell phone.

"When all else fails, or if you need a diversion, place this cell phone anywhere and activate it from the laptop. It should be able to disrupt all technology within an entire building."

Atelier stowed it in a compartment in laptop and gave it to Mars. Afterwards, he put a metallic pen on the table.

"Fountain pen, not really used much," he said. "It contains a micro-trigger that can fire small EMP pulses. I've heard you and Looker are dealing with bombs, and we at the IP suppose that they must be electronically activated. Just fire the EMP at a single bomb, at the systems will break."

Mars stared at Atelier as he continued to place more gadgets on the table, the first being a pair of black rubber gloves.

"These gloves are actually harder than they look, like, literally _hard_," Atelier said. "The reason is that each glove has magnetic fibres weaved into the fabric. They are flexible, so they won't break. If you ever needed to make a climb on a metallic surface, the time would come to use these."

He threw the gloves to the metal wall across the room, in which the gloves stuck to the wall instantaneously.

"I have to warn you, though, that if the gloves ever come into contact with a demagnetizer, the effectiveness will be reduced by 99%. You will have to bring it for repairs to get it functioning again," Atelier explained some more.

After that, Atelier placed two Poké Balls on the table: a Great Ball and an Ultra Ball.

"Don't confuse these with your regular Poké Balls!" Atelier swiftly warned (again and again…). "The Great Ball is actually a bomb full of knockout gas, mixed with the equivalent of a smoke bomb. Anyone who breathes it is liable to be knocked out cold for at least six hours. Just press the button on the ball to arm it, and you will have a five-second fuse to throw it before it goes off. The Ultra Ball, in contrast, is a flashbang capable to blind your enemies for a good ten seconds. I would advise you so stay away from it once activated. All the same, arm it the same way like you do with the knockout gas."

Mars took the gadgets and equipped them accordingly: beginning with the e-Scope Lens Mark VI on her ear, placing the laptop into one of the bags she was given, the fountain pen into one of her coat pockets, and the gloves into another coat pocket.

"Thank you, Atelier," Mars said.

"It's my pleasure to do it, Eclipse," Atelier replied.

Now it was Looker's turn to receive his gadgets…

"International Police Secret Weapon No. 1! Excellent Scope Ver. 2," Looker held up the horrific-looking twin telescope/glasses in the air. "This is all I need and some communication."

"Yes, communication," Atelier agreed. "But you will need a lot more than just those…"

He jumped off his leather armchair and went to grab a heavy-looking metal briefcase in the distance, and opened it right in front of Looker.

"It's basically what you need to create a makeshift base. You will have to use this to establish a secure connection directly with the IP. You can even transmit a given substance like oil or some corrosive chemical via using the analysis sheet in the briefcase. Just make sure you've got gloves on and you're using a clean dropper. HQ will look at it and provide you with information from our database. Radar is also equipped to detect anyone in the vicinity within a given radius. If nothing else, a few security locks should be enough to keep the both the briefcase secure and, depending on where you're setting up your base, to secure a door. Ensure that one of you stays in the base so you don't lock yourselves out. If you do have to go in the field together, keep the briefcase hidden."

Atelier closed the briefcase and gave it to Looker, and then he pulled out a hand-sized tablet.

"Finally, Looker, here is one of the gadgets I made just for you. This is a technically and electronically advanced notepad in which you can take multiple notes and memos by use of the stylus. If you need to scratch something off, just rub it off using the other end of the stylus. Sort of like a pencil. Furthermore, you'll be able to achieve and save any liquid sample you've found, and transfer it into the briefcase, and we'll be on the receiving end."

As Atelier passed the tablet to Looker, Mars felt the need to ask, "What about solid samples?"

"You will have to bring them directly to the briefcase and place them onto the analysis sheet like normal. They're sure not to fit into the tablet of course," Atelier finished. "Anyway, that's all I have for you, so… yeah, use these gadgets wisely."

"Thank you, Atelier," Mars said.

Now it was Looker's turn to jump. "Okay! The time has come! We must move to the field, now!"

Looker quickly ran off to the elevator.

"What are you waiting for, Eclipse?! The time is now!"

"Looker, you're not seeing the obvious, are you? You've forgotten the briefcase!"

* * *

**Haha. It's so obvious!**


	5. Principles of the International Police

**To commemorate my birthday, I'm uploading a new chapter in the hopes it will get noticed!**

**Here's the neat part: this chapter is directly taken from my separately published story of the same name.**

**The code, and coffee addiction...**

* * *

_**Chapter five: Principles of the International Police**_

Now, with a number of gadgets in the pockets of her black investigator's coat, the e-Scope Lens Mark VI hidden near her ear, and her Purugly safely stored in her Poké Ball, Mars was prepared for anything. Like Looker said, she had tons of experience working in the field, so…

Now she was sitting in the first-class cabin of an airline that would take them to Slateport City in the Hoenn Region. She was sitting in a leather chair, Looker sitting in a chair not unlike Mars', with a table separating the two.

"Forgive me if my plan for first-class may be unexpected to you," Looker began, "but despite the impossibly high expenses it's the only way to get some private talk from the public."

Mars raised her eyebrows, and Looker then sighed.

"Our target is a so-called secret foundry southeast of Slateport where we suspect the bombing plant is located," Looker explained quietly. "Our plan is to take the local ferry to the Battle Frontier, which is directly twenty kilometres north of the target (about twelve miles), where we will pose as unsuspecting spectators. There is a specific residential zone for where the public can stay during the Frontier competitions, and that is where we will set up our base."

Looker looked as if he was going to get up and pace around, but a violent rumble sent Looker back into his seat. Mars felt some Butterfree's in her stomach, and the small seatbelt indicator above their heads flashed a bright yellow.

"_Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing some flight turbulence. For your safety please remain in your seats with seatbelts securely fastened, and refrain from using the lavatories until the seatbelt sign is turned off. Cabin crew, please be seated._"'

Looker breathed and stayed seated, but he still had another file to show Mars. He took out a blandly-coloured folder and passed it to Mars.

"Eh? What's this?" the young Pokémon Trainer asked.

"This is a code in which all members of the International Police must follow," Looker explained. "Failure to comply with the code, or infringing it, can result in expulsion from the IP and very likely a court trial to atone for possible crimes."

Mars read the file.

"Wait, a minute, Looker," she said quietly, eying the document with surprise. "Am I supposed to read out the whole thing on my own?"

"You must understand that you must also know most of this document by heart," Looker said. "We have an entire flight for you to look at it. Trust me. It should be the most important thing of all when you've got a part-time or full-time career with the IP."

So Mars begrudgingly read the file, but she soon found that Looker was right after all.

* * *

**INTERNATIONAL POLICE CODE OF CONDUCT PART I**

_**Whereas the International Police is established on values that unanimously uphold and safeguard the law on global-scale.**_

**The file herein documented shall explain primary and basic guidelines, as well as principles, to all those whom the document concerns bound by allegiance to serving the International Police (also known as I.P. or IP). International Police officers are to perform duties in a manner of justice, integrity, professionalism, and accountability; whilst are subject to a given region's laws and obligations.**

**Duties by order of International Police superiors and administrators:**

**a. To perform all assignments to the IP agents or officers of interest to preserve peace, prevent further crime or any other criminal offences subject under international criminal law, and to lawfully arrest or take into custody suspected offenders when appropriate.**

**b. All IP agents or officers are obligated to execute any warrant provided by administration.**

**2\. Act of IP in the field:**

**a. Every IP agent or officer is expected to work in a civilised, covert, and above all respectable manner to carry out his or her assignment. Every IP agent or officer is also expected to provide excellent and unbiased service to international community, including lifesaving service and life-or-death situations, and should constantly be a testimony to promote public safety. Most importantly, all IP agents or officers are committed to the ideals above and to the content of section (1).**

**b. IP agents are sworn to secrecy to NEVER reveal International Police presence to any non-affiliated member of the public unless permitted by an IP administrator, nor can IP agents reveal any affiliation with the International Police outside of active duty.**

**c. An IP agent is restricted from using his or her real name when active in the field.**

**d. In such a case where more than one IP agent is active in the field, the specified agents are forbidden from using their real names. Refer to section (2), subsection (c).**

**e. IP agents or officers are permanently forbidden to use excessive force, including specific forms of interrogation and torture, when handling or dealing with any given operation, assignment, or any related issue, with the apprehended to be treated fairly and justly. Failure to comply, or failure to meet this standard, is subject to a criminal offence.**

**f. The International Police recognizes that the concerned IP agent or officer assigned has the freedom to not act solely based on direct commands, and may act freely as he or she sees accordingly, provided that it principally falls under section (1), subsection (b); section (2), subsections (a), (e), (g); and section (3), subsection (a). The IP agent or officer has the right to protest against a superior or administrator.**

**g. IP agents or officers must perform any given arrests in a civilised manner, complying with section (2), subsection (a) and must respect the rights of the individual, along with the basics of section (2), subsection (a).**

**h. IP agents or officers are totally subject to obligations given by superiors and administrators as explained by section (1), subsection (b), but can retain the right to liberally act on how the mission progresses, as guaranteed by section (2), subsection (f).**

**3\. Limits of the International Police:**

**a. All IP agents and officers, including superiors and administration, shall never consider themselves or act above the law. Therefore, IP agents and officers, like regular citizens, are all equal before the law.**

**b. Anyone whom the International Police is in contact with in a given case, such as witnesses and suspects, is still subject to retain all basic rights and freedoms.**

**c. It is illegal to execute and perform duties of the International Police without expressed permission of an administrator or superior, or without the authority of a warrant.**

**d. An IP agent or officer, or any related subject to the International Police, shall not and must not abuse the authority of the International Police in any given way regardless of the situation. Doing so is an offence under international criminal law, and is also a violation of the code of conduct as instructed by section (3), subsection (a).**

Mars looked up from the file she had finished reading.

"Am I really supposed to read the other parts of the code too?" she asked.

"No. Not at all. You only need to understand the basics of how the respectable IP agent operates," Looker replied. "I could give you more of the code, but it is hardly relevant to you, so we shall just leave it alone."

Mars nodded and placed the file down in front of her to keep reading it.

* * *

As the flight turbulence progressed Mars was getting used to reading the code section-by-section and she couldn't recall the number of times Looker had ordered a coffee. Honestly, how many coffees did that guy drink so far? Somehow, it felt like Looker would order a coffee at least once every fifteen minutes, and that would mean four coffees an hour, and the flight was going to Slateport would take several hours…

The turbulence even caused Looker at one point to spill coffee over his coat. He then waved to the flight attendant to bring him another coffee, but due to the turbulence the attendant refused.

"Why do you even keep drinking all that coffee?" Mars was starting to feel worried about Looker's sanity. "It's not like we're pulling off an all-nighter on this plane. We can get some discussion going once we're at the Battle Frontier, and you're probably going to crash at some point with all that caffeine in your blood."

Looker glanced up at her for only the slightest moment. Actually, Mars could tell that Looker wasn't looking that good after all. There was no reason he had to have so much coffee!

"I suppose now would be the time to get some rest," Looker said. "By the time we arrive at the Battle Frontier, I expect us to be wide awake when we set up our base."

This was a contradiction.

"You can't _get_ any rest, Looker," Mars scolded him with a glare. "You've been drinking so much coffee that your eyes can't even blink. I suppose we're going to have to stay awake for the entire flight and get some discussion going on right now."

Then again, what _was_ the point of drinking all that coffee and getting sleep at the same time?!

"You CAN'T even be 'wide awake' by the time we get there!" she argued. "You're going to suffer from such lack of sleep that you'll be bound to sleep once we arrive to set up our base. Meanwhile, _I'm _going to get some rest."

Looker saw Mars yawn right in front of him and fell into a deep sleep. Normally, yawning would cause anyone else to yawn. But with so much coffee and caffeine in his blood Looker's consciousness _refused _to go to sleep.

She looked very comfortable too in a seat belonging to first-class…

As an agent of the International Police, it was also Looker's job to be secure in any environment. The flight attendants could be spies, the pilots could have been bribed to conspire against them, the plane could be rigged to collapse and explode in mid-air.

He had nearly forgotten that the International Police had been responsible for planning the flight and transfer. On every occasion when an IP agent was sent overseas, the IP would ensure that everyone's profile on the vehicle of interest (in this case, an aircraft) would be thoroughly checked including criminal record checks. Every passenger, every crew member, and as well as every person who had been near the aircraft twenty-four hours prior to takeoff would each be investigated by the IP as a precaution, in case of a possible attack. Even though the IP was a covert policing force, they still had a considerable number of covert criminal organizations registered on a wanted list who were capable of hijacking public transports and infrastructure. It was best not to take any chances.

Another shaking turbulence made Looker feel a little cold, with forces making him feel lighter in one second, and forces pushing him down making him feel heavier the next second. He wondered how much longer the flight would have to take.

With Mars in front of him now looking incredibly comfortable and sleeping, Looker tried fruitlessly to _not_ sleep. He was doing it in the name of safety and security.

By the time the turbulence stopped, and the seatbelt signs had been switched off, Looker ordered yet another coffee. However, he ran into an issue with the flight attendant.

"What do you mean, 'we're out of coffee'?" Looker quietly demanded.

The flight attendant rolled her eyes. "Sir, you've had a coffee for every fifteen minutes. At that rate, not a single passenger in economy class will get to have a single cup of coffee, let alone a cappuccino. Despite you're in first class, I suggest you show the passengers below us some courtesy."

Fifteen minutes later, Looker's mind suffered from lack of coffee, and the flight attendant suggested he chew two pieces of gum to refresh his mind. Looker took up the offer.

An extra fifteen minutes later, after Looker had securely put away the IP documents, he instantly fell into a deep sleep. The flight was still going to take some time, so he might as well grab some sleep.

Really? He _couldn't_. He had too much coffee!

* * *

When Looker awoke he found that Mars, sitting across from him, was already up and eating a hot meal with a cup of latte. Exhausted and tired, Looker ordered – as predictable as he was – another cup of coffee.

"We're _out_," the flight attendant said sternly. "You can head down to the economy class for a cup if you'd like, but we're not serving coffee here in first class for the rest of the flight. Not to you, anyway."

So Looker gave up. He would rather sacrifice coffee than sacrifice precious privacy in the first-class cabin. Privacy he could use to prepare for the IP intervention he and Mars were going to undertake.

"Very well," he replied to the flight attendant. "I will have a hot meal then: vegetable soup and a cup of water for me, please."

The flight attendant seemed very pleased, as Mars could tell by the apparent expression, with Looker's order. Clearly, the flight attendant was hoping that Looker would _not_ order another coffee, and sure enough Looker didn't.

After all, Looker ordered only water. That was not obvious.


	6. Cruising Current Events

**Thanks for the birthday wish, InfernusXS! As a courtesy to InfernusXS and Looker's1fan, I'm uploading a new chapter of Eclipse. Sorry I haven't updated for a while, as I've been:**

**1\. Focusing on Culinary Rivals**

**2\. Focusing on my end-of-term final exams, which are extremely important, with one of them worth 90% of my grade. It starts tomorrow! (April 18!)**

**Enjoy the chapter! It'll be nice to read. Obviously!**

* * *

_**Chapter six: Cruising Current Events**_

The airplane jet made its final stop at Slateport City and touched down on the runway. After disembarking, retrieving their belongings, and passing through immigration and customs, Looker and Eclipse (otherwise known as Mars) left the airport unnoticed.

For Mars, though, she had never felt so uncomfortable at the immigration posts when she realised that she couldn't use her real name. Although she maintained the use of the name Eclipse and knew very well that she had to keep using it to uphold secrecy, it still felt strange.

When it came to immigration, they needed to pass unnoticed. But didn't that violate security? With passports, they were typically eligible to pass into a country. Unfortunately, neither Looker nor Mars had brought passports with them. But as it happened, their International Police ID cards could be used as a legal alternative to a passport. The customs and immigration officers had seen the ID cards and had been happy to validate them.

Mars and Looker left the airport and walked the length of city blocks to approach Slateport Harbour where, apart from being home to marine transportations to the outer world, it neighboured the Port. The Port served as the main centre of commerce in the entire city with domestic goods and trades occurring arriving routinely at the port every day.

"I suppose we can use our cards again to gain access on a ship for free?" Mars gazed inquiringly at Looker, as if she was trying to draw extra information from him. She was, though.

"Nice try," Looker corrected. "Nope. Unlike before, we had the IP to buy our ticket through a discreet contact. We must purchase an untraceable ticket directly in the port to get aboard. Fortunately, we will not have to get through customs and immigration."

They walked closer to the Port via the main walkways while bypassing local homes, shops, and restaurants. If Mars really had the time, she could have taken a visit to the Oceanic Museum, but Looker wouldn't wait, nor would the duties as an IP agent.

Bypassing the Port was an interesting sight.

"We want a free market!" a voice shouted. "This is the best way to make our city prosper!"

"No! If we do that, then the other regions might buy us off with their top-class goods and the Slateport economy will crumble. Let's leave Slateport the way it is! The port has survived long enough!"

"What about Lilycove?" a third voice shouted. "They've always encouraged free trade with the other regions. Now look at their port! Since they're so close to the northern side, they have better advantages than we do! And they didn't need to pay extra to buy off foreign goods!"

"To prove that point," a supporting voice added, "they've got the largest department store in the region where all the international goods flow in there as well as the people. Now they're practically the richest city in all of Hoenn!"

"Are you kidding?! We've lived on local products for a long time! Foreign goods will only suck the lifestyle of Slateport dry!"

"We'll be able to buy fuel for our ships for cheaper!"

"That'll break apart our hard-working Hoenn corporations!"

"Does anyone know _how_ the Hoenn and Sinnoh Banking Corporation came to be?!" a voice demanded. "It's because of economic investments between our region's and Sinnoh's! For once, every individual in the known world can finally have safe access to storing money, and it's all because of foreign and domestic investments between Hoenn and Sinnoh!"

"Yeah! Just look at places like Rustboro and Lilycove! That's where investments to grow this bank are coming from!"

"Banks prove nothing!"

"Support the PRU!"

"NO!"

Apparently, the two IP agents had walked into a rallying protest between two rivalling groups of what looked to be port and harbour workers. One side was apparently liberal conservative (who moderately supported the change of a new cooperative organization while primarily upholding the conservative ideal of free trade) and the other, conservative (who preferred to maintain traditional lifestyle and refused such a sudden change in a united organization).

Mars and Looker passed the two protesting groups who gathered right outside of the Pokémon Centre. Since municipal and public medical checkups were done there, that place may have been the best location to grab the public's attention. Then again, who didn't notice?

"It's true though," Mars said to Looker while she walked. "The points from both sides are valid. It makes me wonder sometimes if having a Pokémon Regional Union is worthwhile for the common good…"

Looker spent some of his time looking for any hints that the protest was controlled. As a civil freedom, they had the right to protest against such matters. The only matter was if it could go out of control at any point. As fortune would have it there were twenty police officers on a surveillance patrol, and an extra six police armed with riot gear riding on a fearsome Rapidash for each riot police.

"Is that really necessary?" Mars raised her eyebrows at the sight. "To have riot police with headgear, the appropriate body gear, and a riot shield, riding on a Rapidash. It seems excessive."

Looker wore an agreeing face. "It does seem excessive. But these kinds of actions and measures are sanctioned by the IP, and they're only on standby anyway. After all, it's only a peaceful protest."

He walked past the protesting crowds and into the harbour.

The noise level of Slateport Harbour was what one would call typical. Typically, there would be a decent number of people who would gather to buy ferry tickets to travel across to distant cities like Lilycove, Mossdeep City, and the Battle Frontier. For the people, there was always the option of taking the airline via Slateport City's airport, but it was also more expensive to take a flight to travel across the region. A ferry route was much cheaper to travel by, and travel time wasn't that much of a difference.

If one wanted to travel to a distant region in a shorter amount of time, like Mars and Looker just did, then there would be much more reason to take an airplane to get there. If one wanted to take it by ferry, a citizen in Slateport City's area would have to take a ferry from the harbour, once every so often stop by Lilycove for supplies, and take off again.

Looker approached the ticket office inside the harbour with a degree of hidden importance. Mars casually followed the IP agent into the office too.

"Welcome to Slateport Harbour, home to the internationally-recognised S.S Tidal, and one of the busiest marine centres in the world!" the receptionist greeted Looker. "Sir, what would you like to do today here? Questions? Purchases? Or, maybe, reservations?"

Looker pulled out his wallet.

"I would like to purchase two ferry tickets to the Battle Frontier," Looker demanded. "My co-worker and I have to conduct some business ventures there."

"Yes, sir," the receptionist typed furiously on his computer. "That'll be for you and your friend?"

"Yes," Looker answered impatiently, but Mars didn't think it would matter for impatience, since the ship had yet to leave the pier. The former reached into his wallet and passed a handful of money to the receptionist, and in exchange would receive two neatly printed tickets.

"_Keep an eye out for any people would be looking at us,_" the agent whispered. "_You never know, there could be those people who would be watching our every move since we got off the airplane._"

He pointed to the receptionist. "She's suspicious."

He pointed to a sailor behind him without needing to turn his head. "He's suspicious."

Mars briefly glanced at the sailor of interest, but merely concluded that Looker was overreacting. After all, the sailor was only making casual, and clearly methodical, overviews with the maintenance crew and cabin crew of the S.S Tidal. By the time Mars turned to look at Looker again, she could see the receptionist handing him two tickets.

Looker took the two papers, professionally folded them, and neatly tucked them into his one of his coat pockets.

For Looker, the most he knew about the tickets was that the S.S Tidal was going to leave in exactly one minute. But from his observation of the waiting line that stretched from the ship to the ticket office he didn't need to worry about such matters. Nodding to Mars, they walked to the end of the line.

In remote silence and secrecy, Looker passed one ticket to Mars, which the latter took with an emotionless expression. Then again, in such an ordinary scenario, who needed emotions anyway?

* * *

"_Attention, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. The S.S Tidal will now be making its departure for the Battle Frontier,_" the voice said over the intercom. "_For your convenience, we are pleased to provide a part-time service on the decks and cafés for the most of this trip. If you wish to rest, please stay in your assigned cabins. We hope you'll enjoy a pleasant journey._"

Mars and Looker were sitting one of the cafés located on the lower interior decks of the S.S Tidal. The two agents, the professional and the amateur, were sitting across from each other on leather armchairs, and a table separated the two with a miniature vase of lilac flowers on top. Mars sipped a cup of hot tea and Looker had, you guessed it, _another_ cup of coffee.

To their side, a panoramic-style window showed a view of a stretching ocean. Looker considered going over an IP briefing with Mars, but there was no way he was ever going to risk his career by bringing out classified information in public, so he decided to wait until they arrived at the Battle Frontier.

Besides, in Looker's IP-compressed intuition, there could be suspects around to compromise his mission and what the IP had planned for him.

"Suspicious?" he pointed to a couple behind.

However, in Mars' simple and perception-expanded mind, there were clearly no people in sight to hunt them down. In fact, her response to Looker's inference was enough to make her frustrated and annoyed out of proportion.

"You _think?_" she raised a furious eyebrow. "Consider that those two, from the _obvious _perspective, are a couple and the way they are talking. If it was anything obvious, those two are newlyweds on their honeymoon. Surely you, of all people, could see the obvious there?"

"Is that so obvious?" Looker countered. "There are always hidden possibilities, and with the right intuition I can see what is hidden beneath the obvious –"

"Oh, screw that, Looker!" Mars raised a fist. "There is time for one thing and time for everything, and now is not the time to be thinking about that when the _obvious_ is right there! You're overreacting! Furthermore, you have no proof to back up your theory that you could see what is hidden underneath the obvious, and the obvious I'm seeing now is as plain as it can be."

Looker opened his mouth to speak, but was shut down by Mars.

"And lastly, you made it absolutely clear there was no room for error when we arrived at Slateport City and that we wouldn't be tracked, given we have identification as International Police agents," she said furiously like she was lashing kicks at him. "If hostiles would know of our presence here, this mission would be compromised already, so think about what's obvious here. The obvious is that we're secure, in short."

And with those words said, Mars put the cup of tea to her lips and sipped. Looker had never felt so… so annoyed, but at the very least understandable. Repeat: _at the very least_, this meant that that was the limit of his observation at the moment.

Looker shook his head and drank another sip of coffee.

* * *

Half an hour later, with the consistent speed of the ferry fighting against a non-stop ocean current, the ferry began to steer off at an angle to the Battle Frontier. With the ferry still taking some time, Mars went to buy a slice of cheesecake. Meanwhile, Looker went for a grab at the local Hoenn newspaper.

"I'm guessing the headlines are about the PRU?" Mars asked when she returned to the table, but she already knew the answer.

"Yes," was the short response she got, and Mars knew it.

They sat in silence afterwards, with Mars quietly enjoying a slice of cheesecake as she sat down and Looker reading the newspaper. Mars couldn't help but often glance at the headlines on the paper seeing that they were the only distraction she had apart from her cheesecake.

Bite after bite, Mars eyed the pictures on the title page, which was unsurprisingly a snapshot of the landmark Unity Tower in the Unova Region, where the first meeting of the PRU was going to take place.

"What does the local paper say about the PRU?" she casually asked.

"There's always the frequent report about who's going to be in it, what they will do, and how it's going to work out in the end," Looker surmised. "I'm pleased to see that the International Police has no say or mention in this paper, and guarantees our secrecy."

Mars glanced at the panorama window to see endless ocean again, though the flat view was disrupted by the sight of a particular complex in the horizon: a series of houses afloat the water with log bridges and massive islands.

"Hoenn authorities and township surveys say that Pacifidlog Town is a major supporter of the PRU and their promises of unrestricted free trade," Looker said as if he had read Mars' mind as well as her sights. "They're a small community, and they'd love to benefit from all the possible developments and expansions they could receive from neighbouring regions. The municipality even states they want to develop a Pokémon-and-environment-friendly resort should the PRU proceed."

"On the other hand, there are several smaller regions and towns who fear that free trade could lead to the annexation of their native homes," Looker went on. "The Sevii Islands, for example, are considering maintaining their autonomy and think of free trade as a threat to that, and from Kanto in particular. Ironically, the Sevii Islands welcome the idea of a Pokémon Regional Union. It's just that the free trade part sets them off a bit."

Mars watched Pacifidlog Town come and pass by slowly.

"What about places like Orre and Almia?" Mars then brought up, suddenly thinking about her friends Kellyn and Kate in the latter region.

"Orre?! Well, I think everyone knows that Orre is in dire need of foreign investment to help grow and flourish their economy!" Looker said as if it was obvious. "It's obvious, you know."

"I don't see anything obvious in there," Mars' temper slightly rose. "What is it?"

Looker placed the newspaper down on the table in front of him, looked from left to right, and said to Mars, "Orre doesn't have a Pokémon League, you know. They are a desert region with sparsely scattered municipalities where their main source of economic income comes from their world-renowned Colosseums. Orre, of course, would benefit from free trade and security, given they are infamous for their high crime rates. The most prosperous and civilised city, Phenac, will represent the interests of the Orre Region upon the first meeting of the PRU."

"As for Almia, I can't say I know much about them. The Ranger Union, who oversees the security of that region, will represent Almia at the PRU. For Ranger-sanctioned regions: that is out of the question for me," Looker recited from earlier reports. "Anyway, I think I've talked enough."

The IP agent reached for his cup of coffee to drink out of it, but then decided it wasn't sweet enough and emptied a packet of sugar into the drink. Mars reclined on the armchair and tried to relax. To enhance her relaxation, Mars reached out to her cup to tea and sipped from it. It wasn't hot anymore, but at least it was warm still.

During the cruise, Looker once again picked up the local newspaper to read the sports section. That seemed peculiar to Mars, as she saw Looker as the type who would put IP priorities first and foremost. Of course, it seemed sensible as they were still on a ship. The latter was tempted to play around with her Scope Lens gadget, but that would mean risking blowing their cover. Looker certainly wouldn't be pleased with that, so Mars refrained from touching the gadget.

"Come again, where will we go once we arrive at the Battle Frontier?"

"I've got my briefcase from the IP," Looker recapped. "We head over to the Trainers Village to take our room and set up base. Investigation and infiltration will soon follow afterwards. One of us will stay in the room to monitor activities and to keep our cover under secrecy, in this case you, and the other, being me, will be out in the field searching for details. We'll have to sneak our way in to the supposed hidden foundry south of the island, but I'll brief you on that once we get there."

Mars nodded. She then decided to take a break and process what kind of information she had just been explained about. Sure, she'll have more practical briefings upon reaching the Battle Frontier –

The strong scent of coffee wafted from across her, and disturbed her thoughts.

_Eh…? Looker?_ Mars thought.

Realising what exactly was funny about Looker got up to the café again. This time, she purchased a packet of spearmint-flavoured gum, walked back to her table, and tossed the pack on the table.

"From all that coffee you've been drinking up to now…" Mars raised her eyebrows, and speaking in a mocking way, "anyone tell you how badly your breath smells of coffee? If nothing else, you've got an impossible amount of coffee stains on your teeth. Why, anyone with an obvious sense of mind would do something to take care of that!"

Looker only scoffed at Mars' comment, but he did chew a piece of gum thereafter, obviously.


	7. Settling In

**Here's to alex988 for the review, and here's to those who have put this story on their alerts and favourites. Here's the next chapter!**

**Now pay attention to the chapter, as this involves a little... name switching.**

* * *

_**Chapter seven: Settling In**_

"_Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Battle Frontier. As always, thank you for boarding the S.S. Tidal for today. Disembark when directed by cabin crew, and don't forget to pick up your luggage at the terminal. Enjoy your day_."

Mars hoisted her coat and covertly ensured that her gadgets were in the secure bag she was given by Atelier, and not to mention the e-Scope Lens Mark VI. After checking her e-Scope Lens was securely on her ear, she got up to follow Looker to the terminal bay. Looker, first of all, picked up his briefcase and was on the move.

Immediately after disembarking, the two agents were walking along the pier and to the Battle Frontier entry and checkpoint. It was a simple building, really, but it was also a big enough building to occupy the width of the pier from one end to the other.

In short, when Mars and Looker walked right in, there were desks full of careful office workers checking who had arrived from the ship and arrival procedure was in order. The passengers, including Mars, would go to at least one of the workers and complete the arrival.

"Welcome to the Battle Frontier," said the receptionist. "Now, if you want to keep on going through, I'll need to see your boarding tickets, and the reason why you're here."

Looker had both tickets with him and passed them to the receptionist in somewhat cold silence, and then added, "We, the two of us, are just visiting the Frontier in the prospect of watching amazing battles here. All we'd like to do is have some rest before we start our venture."

The receptionist passed the tickets to the respective officer, who scanned the tickets, verified them on a computer, and then passed them back to the receptionist. The receptionist, in turn, handed back the tickets to Looker.

"Okay, sir, you may proceed to the Battle Frontier as you please. If you need a place to stay, I suppose the best place the Battle Frontier recommends is the Trainers Village. Whether you are staying to watch the battles or actually battling, anyway you may stay there nonetheless."

Looker nodded and emotionlessly took the tickets back. Now that the checkpoint was over with, the two IP agents were free to go into the Battle Frontier. First of all, they had to locate the Trainers Village.

Only recently, the officials of the Battle Frontier had contracted a team of carpenters, interior designers, architects, and a corporate construction company to begin the expansion of the Battle Frontier to include housing for those visiting Trainers wanting to have an extended stay. For the corporate company, the most ideal and optimal place to raise a multilevel condominium-style building was beside the Pokémon Centre. In order to not compromise the image of the other facilities, this was the best place the company concluded with.

Besides, they might as well raise the land value here too.

And given its modest height, it didn't take long for Looker and Mars to find the building when the exited the checkpoint. The Trainers Village was a multi-building residential complex that stood five stories high each. Each building had an identical innovative design of glass balconies and coloured glass boxes of condominiums that housed Trainers and spectators alike. The ground floor was darkly coloured, and it looked like it was doing all the work of holding the rooms up in the air.

"It won't matter which one we pick," Looker said. "All we need is a room to stay and set up our base, and quickly establish contact with the IP."

The next thing Mars saw Looker do was take out a cell phone. Obviously, Looker appeared to be making a call to the IP already. What Mars also wondered was if Looker was using a secure line at all, since it really did look like a typical phone.

As they walked, dressed in their trench coats (dressed in their respective colours and all), they neared the entrance to one of the modern housing complexes.

"What were you making a call for?" Mars inquired. She was, after all, very curious at what and why Looker was making a call to the IP at this time. Was he informing them that they had just arrived at the Battle Frontier? But they had the communications functions in Looker's briefcase!

"I needed to make a quick call with HQ to make quick arrangements," Looker explained. "Because we just got here, it's will take a while for us to get a room. No… I've taken necessary measures to ensure we get a room. The IP will make arrangements and prepay for our room."

The glass doors slid sideways for the duo to enter through. In a smooth fashion, Looker and Mars walked right into the lobby to find a wide desk with several receptionists seeing to visitors and assigning rooms. Fortunately, there weren't _that_ many people lining up, but there was just enough to keep them busy.

As Mars and Looker waited, a television broadcast was airing.

"_The PRU proceedings are going as planned and there is much speculation to what the outcome will be,_" said the broadcaster. "_No one knows exactly what the PRU members have in mind, but one hopes that it is enough to benefit society as a whole…_"

As fortune would have it there were not a lot of people lining up to take a room here. Looker took advantage of the opportunity to sign in for his room, and Mars'. In a few moments, Looker went up to the receptionist to give a brief check-in.

"I think I've already got a booking in this place," Looker said. "I've booked a room here for around four days, correct?"

The receptionist raised his eyebrows, searched the computer for bookings, and then reached his hand to Looker.

"I'll need some identification, if not your name," he said.

Mars' eyes widened. According to International Police Code of Conduct, IP agents were supposed to keep their operations absolutely covert. How, then, would Looker be able to deal with that kind of level with a local civilian?

To Mars' astonishment, Looker directed the receptionist exactly what to do and where to find it. Although the receptionist was reluctant to oblige, Looker simply mentioned his name 'Looker' and that was that. The receptionist was surprised by Looker's name popping up on the screen.

"I see. So you do have reservations," he said. "Well, I'll go retrieve your room key."

In that moment, the receptionist reached under his desk and pulled out a little paper envelope and gave it to Looker. "There're two cards in there for your rooms, and… I hope you'll enjoy your stay at the Battle Frontier."

Looker nodded and motioned for Mars to pick up the metallic briefcase with the latter. Mars, already thinking it wasn't fair since she herself was carrying her own bag, reluctantly picked up the briefcase and followed Looker to the elevators, where they would eventually get their lift up.

As they ascended, Looker was surprisingly silent. Then again, Mars thought, it would have been better that they keep quiet until they reached their room. Despite there was no one there.

Upon disembarking off the elevator, they began to walk to their room, and Looker swiftly placed a framed photograph of a forest on the side table. Since the table had nothing on it but a lamp and it faced the entire corridor, the framed photograph did not seem out of place at all. Furthermore, as Looker followed Mars around a corner to approach their room, he placed another photograph on the wall staring at the whole corridor from a different angle. The photo simply stuck on the wall.

Mars apparently didn't notice the covert actions Looker was taking, and mainly because he was doing it so smoothly in a manner that looked completely natural. Instead, Mars opted to swipe her card key into the lock and enter the room, with Looker right behind her.

"Well done, Mars," Looker, and without asking he took the briefcase back from Mars, looked left and right in the corridor, and rushed right in. Mars, on the other hand, shrugged and followed the IP agent into the room.

The hotel room featured two queen size beds and possibly the most modern varieties of furniture Mars had ever seen. Then again, she shouldn't be surprised since this was indeed the Battle Frontier. She could only imagine how much money was invested into bringing this place to life.

Looker on the other hand began attaching what appeared to be extra locks and motion sensors near the room door, and placed the briefcase on a desk well away from the window. Next, he unlatched the hinges of the case and opened it.

"Now, it's time to begin communicating with the International Police," Looker said, "but before we do that we must ensure that our security systems are in check."

He turned on the briefcase and instantly power cores and processors began to run within the device. Data pads and a keyboard came into sight from the case, and projection screens unfurled from inside the briefcase up and out. Additionally, a radar pad began to emit periodic tones and showing the vicinity. Extra projection screens popped up to show other monitors.

"_Security systems online_," the voice said. "_International Police operations base. Security locks online. Motion sensors online. Security cameras online._"

Mars saw a projection screen broadcast a clear view of the same corridor they had just walked through to get to their room. Ingenious, she thought, the IP could hide a camera in a picture frame and it was in plain sight. It was clearly invisible.

In addition to the screens and communications systems within the briefcase, there was also an all-purpose medical kit that ranged from simple remedies to life support. A data pad also served as an analysis base for research by the IP.

"_Well, hello, agent Looker, and agent Eclipse,_" a monotone voice greeted. "_I trust your ride to the Battle Frontier was free of disturbances?_"

"Not really," Looker replied, "if you count the mass protest that occurred in Slateport City about pros and cons for the PRU."

"_That's good to hear,_" the IP operator said. "_Anyway, back to more serious matters, you are reminded that you are to raid a foundry twenty kilometres/twelve miles directly south of your position. How you will choose to get there by marine or air transport is entirely up to you. You have been allotted 96 hours or so to perform your operations. Save for an extra 24 hours for extraction to the IP. Remember, your primary objective is to uncover any connections between the explosions around the world and this foundry, whilst disabling any known bombs if possible. When all appropriate measures have been taken, we at the International Police may obtain a warrant from the International Court to raid the place, and also within the 24-hour timeframe. For agent Eclipse, she will be granted real-time communication through her e-Scope Lens and will be monitored for additional support._"

After that, Looker switched off the communications system and turned to Mars, who would be more or less recognised by the International Police as Eclipse.

"We must operate as soon as possible," he said.

"Okay," Mars replied, "so where do we start?"

"Obviously," Looker said (in which Mars rolled her eyes), "I'm going to be staying in the room to make sure our IP equipment is as secured and concealed as possible. At the same time, I want you to keep an eye out for anyone with one of these."

He produced a photo showing a white bracelet – but it wasn't the conventional bracelet that had the style of jewelry. No, the photo showed the bracelet could detach into two pieces.

"This is the only clue IP intelligence, including me, have gathered to deduce how these fanatics can communicate with each other," Looker explained. "We only know this because only a month ago, IP agents attempted to detain two suspects linked to the fanatical movement – and they were both wearing this bracelet. The suspects got away, and IP lab workers discovered that this was a communications device."

Looker put the photo on the desk, and turned to Mars again.

"On the ship, I said I would brief you when we got here," he said. "Before we begin our probe on the foundry, we have to make sure the fanatics don't have some sort of presence here at the Frontier. Otherwise, this operation may be compromised from the start."

Mars blinked, and then she said, "You want me to _look_ for one of these guys with a bracelet?"

"Precisely," Looker answered. "If you think that's hard, just use your e-Scope Lens! It's a useful gadget, so you might as well put it to good use. Find a place to observe, and take the next four hours to locate any suspects. If you do find any suspect, you have the authority to detain him or her."

Mars stood up, nodded, and went for the door. But before she could open it, Looker called out, "Hold that thought, Eclipse."

She turned to him again.

"I'll need to link up your e-Scope Lens to this base for real-time communication," Looker explained. "That way, your communication with me, and the IP, will be enhanced, if not clearer. By the way, I'll remind you that when you're out in the field, you are to adhere to the code and strictly refer to yourself as Eclipse at all times when you're out in the field, got it?"

* * *

Two hours had passed since Eclipse left the Trainers' Village for the Battle Frontier grounds. Observing from the roof of the Battle Factory, Eclipse used the e-Scope Lens to her full advantage – she was really able to see up to half a kilometre away. Every detail of every person the e-Scope Lens focused on was sharp and clear – and magnified brilliantly.

Even before Eclipse had arrived at the Battle Factory, the way up was not an easy task. She ended up using a set of private stairs behind the building to approach the top (it was fortunate that she wore her coat and dress clothes). When she got there, she utilized the gadget by blinking three times before use. The e-Scope Lens worked to its full potential!

_I've got to hand it to you, Atelier,_ Eclipse thought as she continued her observations. _You sure know how to make gadgets work as promised!_

Looking through the lenses made of light, Eclipse could see magnified images of the distance, and also additional windows that showed real-time monitoring charts and data tables. Why, there was even an open window showing Looker typing away in the base!

"_Looker_…" Eclipse whined. "This is taking forever!"

"Hey, this is International Police work for you," Looker rolled his eyes. "Remember your time at Stark Mountain? Several agents and I chose to cramp into camouflaged rocks to arrest your late leader Charon. _That_, Eclipse my friend, is something that took forever. At least you have it easy, lying down on a roof."

She sighed.

The sunlight was intensifying, and it kind of made surveillance a little more difficult. Now that she thought of it, Eclipse still had the sports sunglasses in her bag. She took them out, unfolded them, and tried to put them over her eyes.

It felt like she was going to press the light screen from the e-Scope Lens against her eyes! Even so, despite that feeling, when Eclipse slipped on the sunglasses (whilst hearing the _click_ of the frame attaching to the e-Scope Lens) she saw the light screen simply _move_ into the sports sunglasses, as if the light screen had melted into the lenses. Even though she was looking at a light screen, Eclipse saw the exposure had reduced, and she noticed she could customise the exposure.

_This is so cool!_ Eclipse thought.

Two hours. It took that long before Eclipse experimented with the sunglasses.

_And there…_ Eclipse thought. _There're loads of people. How am I supposed to look for him or her?_

But the e-Scope Lens, viewed via these sports sunglasses, started to emblazon a red circle before Eclipse. A quiet, but urgent, alarm started to shrill in her ear. Looking closely, Eclipse could see a man dressed in a blank trench coat and blue jeans. He was wearing a fedora that mostly hid his face, and he was wearing a white bracelet.

"Looker," Eclipse reported. "I have a visual. Take a look at this suspect and see if you can track him for me. I'm going to try and detain him."

The same window that showed Looker typing away was now replaced with Looker looking directly at Eclipse.

"He's located near… the Battle Palace," Eclipse deduced. "I'll give you a snapshot of him."

Voice control was too dangerous for International Police work, so Eclipse had to use complicated methods – like hand motions or mere coding on the sunglasses – to take a picture.

"I'm getting access to all the security cameras in the Battle Frontier so I can help you track him down," Looker said. "I've received your image and I'll let you know where he's going. In the meantime, Eclipse, you better get down from there and try to track him down."

Eclipse stood up, straightened her tie, and dusted her black trench coat and black dress pants before beginning the rush down the Battle Factory's roof. If Eclipse was fortunate, there wouldn't be anyone waiting at the bottom of the stairs. While she was at it, she deactivated the e-Scope Lens by blinking three times, where the light rays retreated into the scanner gadget between her ear and head. As she ran down the stairs, Eclipse pulled off the sports sunglasses and put them back in her bag.

By the time Eclipse had finished walking downward and had her feet on solid ground, Looker's voice rang into her ear.

"I don't know if you know the Battle Frontier well enough," Looker said, "but the suspect is heading toward northward toward the Battle Pyramid. Intercept him before he could cause some potential damage."

"On my way," Eclipse said. "I've got the layout memorised for those two hours."

Without another word, she began her run to what would be the other side of the Battle Frontier region. This was the sort of running Eclipse had experienced in Mount Coronet and Stark Mountain back in her Team Galactic days.

* * *

A lot of running and time had passed, but with the Looker's assistance Eclipse could keep an approximate rein on the suspect's location.

"He's only walking for now," Looker said. "Make your move as smoothly as you can. The public might be surprised at you, and some might even think you're insane. If anyone asks, just show your International Police badge and don't tell them to ask any questions. He's has just arrived at the Battle Pyramid, let's just see where he'll move next."

Eclipse ran past the serene entrance gate of the Battle Arena and kept running. Oh, if only she had her runners and sweatpants right now! Unfortunately, her casual clothes were stored in her suitcase in the Trainers' Village. That was a shame.

* * *

**Agent Eclipse is on the move! As QUEENSPELLER67 pointed out, and to clarify, Charon is not dead. By 'late' I mean he is no longer a leader of Team Galactic.**


	8. Dangerous Heights: Battle Tower

**I have been way too busy writing Culinary Rivals, and school, to even _think_ of updating this story! However, this chapter serves as a credit to ****Looker's1fan.**

**This chapter is one of my favourites. Have a nice read!**

* * *

_**Chapter eight: Dangerous Heights: Battle Tower**_

Agent Eclipse, otherwise known casually as Mars, completed her non-exhausting rush to the Battle Pyramid. Civilians would think she was merely a Pokémon Trainer trying to reach a battle facility on time, while others would think she was late. Eclipse suited neither description.

Eclipse stepped aside behind a tree, and generally out of sight from the public, and blinked three times to activate the e-Scope Lens Mark VI. Keeping the suspect in mind, she searched for the one with a white bracelet, and found it.

"He's moving toward the Battle Tower," Looker reminded. "Act now, Eclipse!"

The suspect had a lean build and looked the sort of type one wouldn't want to pick a fight with. Aggressive muscles and an unwelcoming face defined this person, and he had several tattoos on his neck. Eclipse might need more manpower to take this suspect down.

"Yeah… I might need some backup," Eclipse hesitated. "He's… armed with a Pokémon."

"I'll see what I can do," Looker said. "Arrest him, and if that doesn't work, I'll step in. But for the PRU's sake, step in!"

Eclipse shut off the e-Scope Lens but retained communication, in order to hide the gadget. As swiftly as she could, she came out of hiding and walked closer to the suspect, who was standing aside on the sandy grounds of the Battle Pyramid.

Quietly, she snuck up behind the suspect with hands in her pockets.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Battle Frontier Trainers Village, Looker was examining all security cameras alongside monitoring the suspect Eclipse was pursuing, and he realised he had made a mistake.

"Oh my gosh," he muttered. "There's a second suspect who's right behind Eclipse…"

He spoke into the speaker, "Eclipse, be advised. There is a second suspect – wearing the same white bracelet – coming right behind you. He's wearing a backpack. I'm certain he's here to back up the guy you're pursuing. Try to detain the initial suspect and hold tight while I come to back you up. Be careful."

As Looker watched the security monitors, he saw Eclipse undeterred, and she looked slightly confident. Was Looker imagining things?

"Right," Eclipse replied. "I'll be waiting on you."

Looker set extra security systems onto the briefcase, secured its locks and sides, and hid the item under the bed. If housecleaning dared to enter, they would be welcomed by motion sensors, and extra locks would secure the room door.

After all that was done, Looker ran out with his communicator (essentially a phone) in his ear.

Eclipse still had her hands in her pockets as she snuck up behind the suspect. Eclipse highly doubted the IP would know this man's name, but judging by what he was wearing – and his build – she decided to code him as 'Tattoo'.

She accelerated and pushed Tattoo down to the ground with both hands.

"Who do you think you are?!" he roared.

Eclipse didn't reply, but knocked and pressed Tattoo's back to the ground with her knee and began the arresting procedure starting with his arms. Civilians who stopped by to watch did nothing. In some sense, it would have been logical to attack Eclipse, but no one stepped in, nor did they need to.

"International Police," Eclipse answered after finally securing Tattoo's arms so they were immobile. "Enough said."

It was then Eclipse looked behind her to see another man wearing a backpack run up to her. It wasn't Looker, nor was it anyone she recognised. This, Eclipse thought, must be the second suspect. Dang it. What could she do?

Sensing Eclipse' hesitation, Tattoo attempted to force all his weight upward which could have put Eclipse in a state of surprise, had Eclipse not been grinding him with a knee. Nevertheless, the second suspect continued his charge. Not knowing what to do, Eclipse faced a lethal kick to the back of her head.

The force of the kick sent Eclipse to the ground. She was half-winded as she felt her head explode. It was a painful feeling. At this point, she couldn't stand up, and the two suspects could do what they could to attack her now…

"No," Tattoo said, "there's no time."

The second suspect, who wore a set of combat clothes, spit on the ground beside Eclipse. For Eclipse, who was still winded, she denoted him as Combat Shirt. What else could she name him?

Combat Shirt then prepared to follow Tattoo out of the area, but was surprisingly tackled by –

A Croagunk.

"OW!" Combat Shirt screamed.

Looker appeared taking down Tattoo as well, which resulted in Combat Shirt's surprise. Eclipse felt like slapping herself – why didn't she bring out Pokémon to support her in the first place? Looker crushed Tattoo to the ground whereas Croagunk had a struggle with Combat Shirt, but Combat Shirt pushed Croagunk aside and ran for it.

"Get him!" Looker shouted.

Eclipse, able to catch her breath at last, stood up and dashed to engage a foot pursuit. Combat Shirt was already running in the direction of the Battle Tower, so Eclipse had to run in that direction. Combat Shirt was halfway up the stairs when Eclipse began climbing. Eclipse expected Combat Shirt to run across the entrance and past the Battle Tower, but Combat Shirt ran _into_ the Battle Tower. As Eclipse chased him, it struck Eclipse that Combat Shirt would be cornering himself. Why would he?

BROOOOMMMMMM….!

She stopped dead to raise her arms to protect her face.

As if by coincidence – or not – an explosion could be heard from inside the Battle Tower lobby. She felt the force of an explosion brush past her body.

_What the WHAT,_ Eclipse thought.

The tower's entrance, made of sliding glass, shattered into bits, and the ground in front of the door slightly cracked open. Screams could be heard, as people poured out of the Battle Tower including two others who were carrying a wounded third.

Eclipse could have been feeling angry at this, but she forced herself to remain calm. Instead, she quietly grabbed the arm of someone who was running past her.

"Police," she calmly explained. "Could you tell me what happened in there?"

"Some man in a combat shirt just ran right into the Battle Tower," the witness said, his voice shaken and breathless. "He pulled out some sort of a square device out of his backpack and threw it at the front entrance. And then we heard – you know what happened."

"Thank you," Eclipse released the witness's arm and ran over to the tower doors. The smell of burning rubble and dust filled her nose: a scene of destruction including fires and shattered glass was before her eyes. Come to that, she had to make a quick call to Looker via e-Scope Lens. "Looker, I need you to contact local security to evacuate and clean up the Battle Tower. There's some serious damage going on around here."

Looker said, "I'll do that after I'm finished with this suspect. Arrest yours!"

When she cautiously walked through the burning remains of the tower entrance, Eclipse could see Combat Shirt blow up an elevator door with no thought of the public. Frontier employees helped civilians move away, whereas Combat Shirt walked into one of three elevators and began to go upward. Eclipse didn't know what to do.

BROOM!

BROOOM!

Two simultaneous explosions erupted beside the elevator Combat Shirt was using (the middle elevator). Unlike the middle elevator, the bombs Combat Shirt had supposedly installed were _inside_ the elevators to begin with. As a result, the two elevators were destroyed.

That left only one option to use.

"He's going up on an elevator and has destroyed the two others" Eclipse said to Looker, via e-Scope Lens. "I'm going to pursue by climbing up the elevator."

Before Looker could reply, Eclipse took her Poké Ball and threw it at the opening as she ran. The elevator wasn't there anymore, but it was starting to go up, and there were no doors to support the elevator either, so it was basically an open, hollow, space.

"Purugly! Use Fury Swipes and bring down the elevator. Don't let him get away!" Eclipse ordered. "Use Iron Tail if you have to!"

The tiger cat Pokémon burst out of its Poké Ball and landed inside the gap. Already, Purugly was clawing away at the elevator's bottom and trying to bring it down. It looked like Purugly was making some progress, but slowly it began to rise…

So Purugly resorted to smashing the elevator with Iron Tail. It wasn't a pleasant sound, but more and more of the elevator's bottom was being smashed to the point where it seemed possible to slow it down…

BOOOMMMMMM

A rumbling explosion saw Purugly fall down.

"Purugly!" Eclipse cried. True, Eclipse was in a state of shock, because the explosion came from below. How did Combat Shirt do _that?_ It was impossible. It was like he set the explosive underneath the elevator before he got in…

_Of course,_ Eclipse thought and deduced. _When he was going up, he had a bit of space between the blown-up doors and himself. With one arm he would have time to plant a bomb before his arm would get acrushed between the gaps…_

Thinking no more of Purugly, Eclipse picked up her pace and – absurdly some would say – ran into the elevator space. Silently, in two seconds, she recalled Purugly into her Poké Ball and put the ball back into her shoulder bag ("Come back!" she said). After that, Eclipse rushed to _climb up_ the sides of the elevator and hoping Combat Shirt wouldn't notice.

_All or nothing now…_ she thought.

After climbing up a fair bit of wall, grabbing and releasing bars and rails, Eclipse jumped to grab the bottom of the elevator. As she did this, she could no longer feel the ground supporting her weight now. Gravity was pulled her weight, and Eclipse only had her not-very-strong arms holding onto the bottom of the elevator for dear life.

It was painful. She wanted to scream. She wanted to let go. But Eclipse couldn't afford to do either. Not when her life was on the line, and the worst part was that the recent bomb that had knocked out Purugly had blown a hole in the elevator floor. If Eclipse made as little as a cough, Combat Shirt would notice and he would kill her.

_ARGH, this hurts!_ Eclipse struggled in her mind. The struggle on her arms was bad enough.

Eclipse felt her heart sink as she felt the elevator increase in its speed, and she shuddered to think what it would feel to drop eight-plus stories below. So this is how International Police worked! And to think superspies would do the same thing.

The elevator soared up higher and higher, and Eclipse knew that Combat Shirt didn't notice her. It still was extremely painful to keep grabbing onto the elevator bottom. For Eclipse, she could feel straining in her tendons. By now, her arms were stretched up high, and she didn't' know if she could last much longer.

Now the elevator disappeared from the darkness of the lobby to the bright daylight of Hoenn. Since the Battle Tower's elevators did travel up through glass surroundings, and Eclipse could see the bright daylight welcoming her.

The fear of death from below made her even more uncomfortable, as she could see the ground and buildings and people getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller…

But then, that same fear of death gave Eclipse a different insight into the situation. She still had her bag with her (since surveillance at the Battle Factory) because she needed a place to store her Poké Balls – and it was a shoulder bag! But aside from that, this was the same bag where she kept her gadgets! This was the best possible time to use those magnetic gloves Atelier gave her.

"_If you ever needed to make a climb on a metallic surface, the time would come to use these,_" Atelier's voice echoed in her head.

Calmly, as she heard the uncomfortable screeching of the elevator rebounding off the glass walls, Eclipse carefully released her right hand so she could find one of the magnetic gloves. Her shoulder bag was strapped on her left shoulder but it fell to her waist's right side, so Eclipse didn't need to fear dropping the bag. It made it easier for her right hand too.

This was the trouble Eclipse faced – she had to act extremely quickly because she only had one arm to support her. Yet on the other hand, she only had one arm to find the glove _and_ put the glove on that same hand. If Eclipse acted too quickly, she might accidentally drop the glove; but if she didn't act quickly enough, her supporting arm would release its grip due to strain and Eclipse would likely die in a frightening crash below. Plus, surely Combat Shirt could notice if Eclipse didn't act fast altogether.

She had to make a few seconds at most count.

Shuffling through her bag, she felt her right hand nudge through Poké Balls, the laptop, and… one of the two magnetic gloves. Whichever glove she found first, Eclipse hoped, it better be the glove that fit her right hand.

Eclipse didn't know how much longer her left arm could last. The strain was painful.

Worst of all, the glove Eclipse found was the left hand glove first.

_Dang_, she thought.

She felt her fingers starting to weaken as the elevator continued to travel upward. If finding the right hand glove brought her hope, then she was to be quickly discouraged for not finding the right one. Still, Eclipse had to find it, because her life depended on it.

The same fingers supporting her life started to shake, and Eclipse felt her entire left arm vibrate from a mix of fear and strain. Her breathing rate started to increase, and she felt even more worried that Combat Shirt would notice.

As she shifted her hand uncomfortably in her shoulder bag, she kept her touch on the left hand magnetic glove and quickly rummaged for the second glove – which should be near the first one. Then, Eclipse found it.

_Good_, she thought, _now for the tricky part._

If death came closer to Eclipse, it felt like it was screaming at her face. Her left hand seemed to grow even weaker and Eclipse knew that if she didn't put on the glove now, with only one hand, she would fall for sure.

It was a rubber glove, and it wasn't easy to put on with one hand, but Eclipse was facing death right now. The fear of death… did it seem to make her hand move faster than possible? And, did it make her hands stronger too? It sure felt like it, because the tiredness in her left hand slightly faded, and her right hand had miraculously put on the rubber magnetic glove single-handedly.

_Done it_, Eclipse thought. _Now…_

Her fingers were hanging by a thread, and Mars – otherwise codenamed Eclipse – pushed a lot of strength and energy to her right arm in an effort to force it upward.

Eclipse's left hand slipped and released its grip on the bar.

The other hand, with the magnetic glove on, latched on to the bar, and the feeling of a secure grip felt like something of a comfort for Eclipse. The magnet was somewhat immovable, which prevented her from falling. Her weight might be dragging her down, but the glove made up for it. Plus, the strain had disappeared from her arms.

Eclipse breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Now that she was 'safe', Eclipse turned her focus to Combat Shirt. Given the height they were travelling at, Eclipse could tell that Combat Shirt intended to go to the Battle Tower roof. When Eclipse looked outside the glass walls, she could see the endless ocean not far below. This made Eclipse feel… a little scared.

The sound of a shuddering grind told Eclipse that the elevator had stopped at last, and by then Eclipse could see the elevator had stopped at the highest level of the Battle Tower. She didn't need to remind herself how high she was off the ground. Eclipse only wanted to stand again.

The doors opened, and Combat Shirt stepped out of the elevator.

_Now…_ Eclipse thought. She considered putting on the other magnetic glove in an effort to reduce even more strain in her arms. With her right hand securely gripping on the bar, she used her left hand to find the other glove whilst trying not to let the bag slip off her shoulder. Eclipse slipped her hand in, looked for the remaining glove, and carefully put it on.

After that, Eclipse felt the magnetised grip of both gloves on the bar, and she began to climb towards the hole in the elevator floor to catch up with Combat Shirt. It was fortunate the bar was in line with the hole, so Eclipse could easily climb her way through.

The only trouble was how Eclipse was going to climb up, as she worked her way closer to the hole. Of course, there were alternatives.

"Purugly, help me out here," she whispered, throwing her Poké Ball upward through the hole. Her trusted tiger cat Pokémon appeared on the elevator floor and stared back at her, calculating the proper actions she had to take.

Purugly was still in bad condition after taking the explosion blast from earlier, but she could still move.

After putting the Poké Ball back in her bag, Eclipse continued to draw closer to the hole. Purugly decided that the best way to help was to make the hole bigger, and in a careful way that wouldn't endanger Eclipse. In short, the only way to help was to expand the hole so that Eclipse could actually reach the edge of it; because Eclipse was underneath the elevator, and if she tried to jump for the hole in its current state, she was sure to die in a frightening crash. If Purugly were to expand the hole, Eclipse just might make it.

"Purr….!" Purugly unleashed Iron Tails onto the ground, and little by little the hole got bigger. Hard and powerful contact crushed the floor, and many more parts of the floor fractured. It was a long process, and Purugly personally questioned if it was worth making a bigger hole. The floor was not thin, so it made the situation slow.

And Combat Shirt was getting away!

"Purugly, it's not worth it," Eclipse quietly said, as she drew close to the point where she was directly under and beside the exploded area. "Catch my arm with your mouth, and pull me up! Don't grab onto my glove, whatever you do!"

Eclipse released one hand while using her other hand to push up. It seemed miraculous to her how she could just push down on her gripping hand – as if she were pushing down on a table – and her entire body would flawlessly propel upward. For Eclipse, it was the perfect method to slip through the broken gap in the elevator floor, where Purugly would be waiting.

And Mars – International Police agent codenamed Eclipse – had to act fast or else Combat Shirt would make a run for it. That was unaffordable. At least she was wearing a black investigator's coat! Purugly would only need to pull her sleeve!

As close as she could, Eclipse reached her right arm through the hole…

…and felt the solid grip of Purugly biting onto her sleeve.

"Pull!" Eclipse urged.

Purugly was of course a Pokémon, and at least half of all Pokémon's strength overpowered a human's by a two-to-one ratio. After releasing her last magnetic grip on the bar, Eclipse had only Purugly to count on her survival. If Purugly failed, that would be the end of her life – in a frightening crash down tens of stories below – and no one, except probably Looker, would ever know what would happen.

The fear of death crept through every part of her body again, and Eclipse urged Purugly to keep pulling. From Purugly's perspective, she had to pull Eclipse up from the optimal position. Picture this: Eclipse was technically hanging directly underneath Purugly, and with her arm she reached through the hole for Purugly to hold onto. Purugly had two options: to drag Eclipse's arm so that she could hold onto the elevator floor, or to suspend Eclipse in open space as she dragged Eclipse's _entire body_ to have both her hands grabbing onto the elevator floor.

Either option was illogical, but doable. The first option was easier, but Eclipse would have to exercise strain on her right arm as she tried to get the left one on the elevator floor. On the other hand, if Purugly tried the second option, it would increase strain for Purugly and could get Eclipse killed, but the consequences would be smoother.

"Hurry! He'll get away!" she commanded.

Purugly opted for the second option, and stared at Eclipse's other hand as if telling her to let go, which was exactly what she wanted.

Eclipse nodded, and desperately. "Be quick."

She let go of the other arm, and Purugly felt the sudden drop and increase in weight she was holding on to. This was the crucial moment, and Purugly only had seconds.

The tiger cat Pokémon lifted up her head, and walked around the hole so that Eclipse would be directly underneath it, and hauled Eclipse's arm so the black coat sleeve was touching the floor, with Eclipse getting a firm grip on the floor.

"Thanks, Purugly," she said, and Eclipse placed her free hand alongside the hand on the floor, and she hauled herself up with feet firmly planted on solid ground.

_This feels weird…_ she thought, as if she were getting used to full gravity again. _Never mind that! I have to find Combat Shirt!_

She tore off her magnetic gloves, putting them back in her shoulder bag, straightened her black investigator's coat, and sprinted out of the elevator, with Purugly right behind. At this level, there was only one place Combat Shirt would run to: up.

Eclipse made a snap decision to contact the International Police.

"This is agent Eclipse," she said via e-Scope Lens. "I've tracked down a fanatical suspect and he's making a break off the Battle Tower. I'm requesting backup, because agent Looker is busy. I may need a few security officers to surround the Battle Tower, and arrest him if he makes a run for it. Please be advised that the front entrance has been attacked and the tower requires evacuation."

The message was relayed instantly to the secret International Police office in Sinnoh's Hearthome City. It didn't take long for the IP commanders to understand the situation, and within two minutes a separate message was relayed to security forces within the Hoenn region's Battle Frontier. Six officers, and a fire team, were already running toward the site.

Meanwhile, Eclipse felt like she had lost Combat Shirt. But at this point she was sure that the only place to go was to the roof. All she had to do was find a flight of stairs.

Eclipse and Purugly ran through many hallways, corridors, and battling rooms in an effort to find the stairs. The Battle Tower floors were never meant to be small, but each had a limited capacity of battle rooms. At least those were big! Eclipse only needed to briefly peek in each one before finding the stairs. Purugly took the lead.

On the side of the corridor was an opening where Purugly stopped in front of it, looked to Eclipse, and then entered. Eclipse took that cue in silence and followed her Pokémon upward.

Purugly dashed up the stairs, and Eclipse actually skipped steps to make up for lost time.

Skip stairs, then turn one-eighty degrees for the next flight. Skip stairs, then turn one-eighty degrees again to go up the next flight…

Do International Police have to do this all the time? It was like climbing the Battle Factory again, except this time it was the Battle Tower. The roof couldn't be too far off now.

Up in front of her, Eclipse saw the familiar light of day and knew she had reached the top. Cautiously, she and Purugly walked outside to see where Combat Shirt had gone. However, she didn't need to go far to find him.

"Stay where you are!" she shouted.

Combat Shirt was standing at the edge of the roof. It looked like he was ready to jump off.

"In the name of the law!" Eclipse added. "Don't even try to jump off!"

Combat Shirt tilted his head to look behind.

"I never thought the International Police would take to recruiting _children_ to do their dirty work," his voice was rough. "Have you ever wondered that the police are only using you? They don't know what they're doing, and instead, they appear as vigilantes… doing what they think is right. This Pokémon Region Union they're defending… will only enslave all people and Pokémon alike under their ideals. The common good is most important. This is what we – of the Pure Freedom Alliance – are destined to do. Team Plasma was doing the right thing for a time. It is a shame they were short-lived. My child, it is too much of a story to tell you."

"I'm 17-years old," Eclipse retorted. "Never mind that. I, agent Eclipse, am arresting you for charges of terrorism. Kindly cooperate and maybe the International Police will be lenient."

Eclipse took a step forward to detain Combat Shirt.

"What are you doing?!" Eclipse's eyes widened.

Combat Shirt took a step back and – before Eclipse could react – fell down. Eclipse's eyes widened more – thinking that Combat Shirt had just plummeted to suicide. Whether Combat Shirt would be dead or not, Eclipse was very disappointed that she failed the arrest.

By the time she got to the edge, Eclipse witnessed Combat Shirt deploying a glider from his pack and was flying away into the distance. Judging by the direction of the sun, Eclipse deduced he was heading south for the target refinery.

_That bag he carried is a glider_, Eclipse angrily thought.

Nevertheless, Eclipse was disappointed indeed.

"The arrest has failed," Eclipse said to Looker via e-Scope Lens. "Combat Shirt has gotten away by air and I couldn't stop him."

"WHAT," Looker's voice showed surprise at first, but it quickly turned sour. "Disappointing… did you see where he 'flew' off to, assuming he flies?"

Eclipse double-checked the direction plus the sun before saying, "He's gone southward. With that glider, and I'm assuming it's jet-powered, he probably will be heading to that suspected refinery we at the IP have been investigating. Therefore, this is confirmation that these fanatics have a hideout south of here, so it's worth investigating."

Silence.

"WELL DONE, ECLIPSE!" Looker's voice roared in Eclipse's ear. "That's exactly what I was thinking! Why, your intuition might be equally good as mine! Don't you know that's exactly the kind of logic the International Police needs?! I was right in recruiting you to be an agent after all!"

"Looker," Eclipse muttered. "You don't need to be screaming in my ear."

"Very well," Looker lowered his voice. "I've got the tattooed suspect in custody with Battle Frontier security forces. We'll meet in the Trainers Village for debrief."

Before Eclipse could say anything, Looker's line went dead. There was the obvious problem, though, one that was so obvious to Eclipse that Looker couldn't see it was _this_ obvious.

"If it was this obvious, you'd help me get off the Battle Tower, since the elevators are bust," Eclipse shook her head.

_I need to get back down_, Eclipse thought. _How do I get back down?!_

As fortune would have it, two security officers dressed in blue appeared from the exit stairs. They saw Eclipse, as if instantly recognising her, and approached her. Eclipse wasn't surprised as the two officers flashed out ID to her: they were local security.

"You're agent Eclipse?" one of them said.

"Yes," Eclipse answered.

"Follow us," the same security officer said. "Agent Looker has ordered us to escort you back. Don't ask me how we know your name, because Looker told us to retrieve you. We just do what we're told."

Eclipse nodded.

At least Looker wasn't careless! He sent the security officers, after all.


	9. Fiera

**I've been away from this story for too long, due to work, school, laziness, and writing other stories. I feel like I owe Looker's1fan a favour.**

* * *

_**Chapter nine: Fiera**_

The suspect whom Eclipse and Looker dubbed as 'Tattoo' was sitting in an interrogation room in the Battle Frontier security office. The room was a gray box with no windows, only two mirrors acting as two of the four walls. There was a metal table with a glass top with two chairs on each side, but that was all. One mirror was two-way, the other was one-way, where the latter had the door fixed to it and was controlled from outside.

Agent Eclipse, also known legally as Mars, stood in the room behind the one-way mirror with a few other security workers, as she watched agent Looker perform the interrogation. A separate officer accompanied Looker to flash a humongous flashlight at Tattoo as Looker spoke.

Things, in Eclipse's opinion, looked quite serious. Sure, she might have saw Looker as some overreacting agent who took things way too far at the wrong times, but this was different. The way she saw things right now, watching from the one-way mirror, Looker acted demandingly.

Whenever Tattoo didn't answer to Looker's questions or demands, Looker escalated the case by shining the flashlight directly into Tattoo's eyes. Tattoo didn't give up, though, nor did Looker.

Another officer, sitting at the desk beside Eclipse, was busily scribbling notes and carefully watching the conversation unfold. This officer focused entirely on Tattoo, and carefully watching his expressions and reactions, whilst listening through a pair of headphones.

* * *

"The _Pure_ Freedom Alliance, Eclipse?" Looker said. "Are you sure that's what Combat Shirt told you?"

"Crystal clear, Looker," Eclipse answered.

The former raised his hand with a finger held up, pointed it at a Battle Frontier security worker in the room, and directed it to the door. "Leave us, please."

Without a word, the officer left the room.

"This is getting very serious, Eclipse," Looker said. He motioned Eclipse to use her e-Scope Lens Mark VI, while taking out his phone. "Excuse me… Hello? This is agent Looker. I need a quick request done: could I have temporary access to use agent Eclipse's e-Scope Lens?"

Eclipse couldn't hear the response, and all she could really hear were "Mm-hmm's" and "A-ha's" from Looker. Before long, Looker hung up and held out his hand. "I'll need your e-Scope Lens."

Reluctantly, Eclipse pulled the gadget off her ear and placed it in front of Looker. He put it on his ear, blinked three times, and the light rays flashed to life in front of Looker's eyes. In pure silence, Looker accessed a file specifying the details of the 'Pure Freedom Alliance". After Looker was done, he handed back Eclipse the gadget.

"I think I should make it clear that we're now dealing with a criminal organisation who the International Police has limited intelligence about," Looker carefully and slowly said. "Incidentally, they have emerged only recently, which is the same time that the 'fanatics' have been starting their operations. It is unfortunate we at the IP have had dealings with them in the past."

"What is the Pure Freedom Alliance?" Eclipse asked. "That is the first thing I'd like to know."

Looker still had trouble finding the words to describe it. "This so-called alliance is a very recent and new crime organisation, and so far has become one of the most violent. As far as the International Police are concerned, we've only captured their ideals: which is to 'free' the world… by means of violence and terrorism. Of course, the name 'Pure Freedom Alliance' is merely a subsidiary of the organisation in power – Fiera. I suppose that the name 'Pure Freedom Alliance' is a means to spread propaganda around the world to attract recruits."

"In the recent past, there have been a string of violent attacks around the world… leaving behind no clues or evidence how. In the same respect, Fiera has claimed responsibility for these attacks. You could think of them as a more fanatical version of Team Plasma, but a much more violent one, and they certainly have clear motives – unlike Ghetsis and his hostile dream. They have been under investigation from the IP for some time. We have no idea how to identify Fiera members, since its members are a majority of highly-trained terrorists and – for the minority – assassins… until now."

It took a while before Looker clicked things into place.

"And we thought the people we were investigating were only fanatics!" Looker said, with his face wearing a tinge of frustration. "Who'd have thought that these fanatics are really criminal organisation members? This only gets more dangerous and complicated. It's my theory, but it's what my intuition tells me, that these fanatics are Fiera members in _disguise_!"

Looker said. "Why didn't I see this before? The Alliance members are only interested in freeing the world from the ideals of cooperation, so that each region – be it Sinnoh, Fiore, etcetera – would be free to act on their own instead of relying on each other."

"To be fair for us, the International Police has little intelligence as to how to exactly identify them. They're too discreet as I've just said. Thanks to you, Eclipse, we now understand that whoever wears the white bracelet is indeed a member of Fiera. But who knows? They could change their way of appearance at any time."

Eclipse tried to process the information in her head, but there was a lot to digest.

"That makes sense!" Looker snapped his fingers. "Do you remember at our first meeting - that these 'fanatics' have long opposed an Elite Four's statement that Pokémon should be used for battling? This fits the profile perfectly. The fanatics may be destroying targets like Gyms, Pokémon Leagues, and laboratories, but that is synonymous with 'freeing' Pokémon, and they could not have done it without access to deadly technology, and this would not be possible unless they were supported by a wealthy power... or if they were financed by an organisation. Lo and behold, the fanatics _are_ the organisation."

Looker still wasn't finished. "Violence… in the name of freedom… it sort of makes sense now. I suppose Fiera is making a reasonable excuse to perform terrorist acts. The question becomes: why are they posing as fanatics opposing the PRU, when they have all the power to do so much more? It's no wonder we have so much trouble predicting where they will strike. We need to be extra careful now. If the Fiera discovers the IP is investigating their business with the PRU, every other member will start planning to kill us. There'll already be a price on our heads, and then the IP are going to have their hands full on this one."

He stood up, and Eclipse stood up also.

"We need to head back to the Trainers Village soon, as soon as our agents arrive to detain Tattoo, and then we'll mount our raid on the refinery within our 96 hours," Looker said. "Do you have any questions, Eclipse?"

She did. "How many other members are there?"

"Eighteen thousand at the last count."

Eclipse flinched.

"O-kay…" she slowly said. "So what do we do to cover our tracks? If seventeen thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine members are going to take us down, what do we do? Nevertheless, it's just a theory, right?"

Looker thought about this slowly, and checked his electronic notebook.

"First things first, we have to make things clear," Looker said in an orderly manner. "You are right in saying there is no absolute confirmation that Fiera are involved. Perhaps that man – Combat Shirt, you called him – claimed to be part of the Pure Freedom Alliance, but it might be a lie. Never mind the white bracelet. To confirm, we have to begin our scheduled infiltration on that refinery and search for evidence. If there that shows Fiera are involved, we shall forward precautions to Castelia City."

"Right," Eclipse replied.

Looker nodded and checked his watch. "We are now four hours into our allotted 96-hour timeframe. In effect, we have… 92 hours before our mission is finished. Let's make our preparations count. Don't worry about the eighteen thousand… yet."

"But," Looker continued, "I fear that just us two working will be insufficient to handle a mission of this scale. To mount an investigation against Fiera, we will need to amount backup. Do you have any more questions, Eclipse?"

Eclipse did have one more. "Could you tell me exactly what Fiera is?"

"That can wait until we head back to the base," Looker said.

He removed the e-Scope Lens and handed it back to Eclipse, who put the scanner back around her ear and hid it well on her head underneath her red hair. Eclipse then left for the Trainers Village straight away without waiting for Looker to say any more. The suspects on the other hand were left in the hands of the security officers.

* * *

The trip to the Trainers Village didn't take long, it seemed to Mars, but to Looker it took forever. Mainly, as an agent of the International Police, he needed to be swiftly on guard for any hint of suspicion. There could be traps lying around under their feet. The security cameras could be hacked to monitor their every movement. There could be a stranger waiting on the side ready to assassinate them.

"That Croagunk you used Is that the same Croagunk you used back at Stark Mountain?" Eclipse asked. "I heard a rumour in Sinnoh that you used that to apprehend, what's-his-name, Charon."

"Yes, you just missed getting arrested," Looker said. "Of course, if it weren't for Pokémon Ranger Kellyn, you would be sitting behind bars by now. Still, about Croagunk, no. That isn't the same Croagunk I used in Sinnoh. That Croagunk went KIA during an IP mission, before the Kalos campaign."

KIA. Killed in action. Eclipse knew that term for too long. But for now it took just as long to digest what had actually happened.

"I'm sorry," Eclipse muttered.

"Don't be," Looker said. "He was a good companion, for sure, always putting the line of duty before him, and always putting the mission first. Why I could not save him is a different matter."

They kept on walking to where the Village was located. At some point during their hasty walk, Looker put on an earpiece and spoke into it briefly. This amused Eclipse: first her e-Scope Lens, then Looker's phone, and now an earpiece. Was there any shortage to the number of communications devices this man could use?!

Eclipse and Looker had passed the doors of the Trainers Village and immediately went for the elevator, which in turn transported the two to their room floor. Using the room key, and simultaneously pressing his fingers against the door handle, Looker heard the regular door lock _click_ and the additional security locks _unlock_. Afterwards, and looking left and right, Looker swiftly moved into the room. Eclipse followed him.

* * *

Upon entering the hotel room, Mars first removed her black trench coat, kicked off her leather shoes, dropped her bag, went over to the bed, and collapsed on it, and still wearing her red-and-black tie too! Quite literally exhausted from a lot of running, she wanted rest. True, she had experienced this kind of running before, but this level of field work was unlike anything Mars had experienced.

Looker quietly took went over to Mars and gently extracted the e-Scope Lens from her head.

"We don't want you to crush that gadget with your head, eh?" Looker lightly joked. "I'll get the HQ to see if we can get any backup."

Leaving Mars in her exhausted state, not to mention hearing her light snores, Looker went over to the briefcase, opened the locks on it as well as bypassing its security features, and fired up the mobile base again. Naturally, though, it was never turned off. The International Police contact was still linked with the mobile base.

"This is agent Looker," he said to the IP operator on duty. "I would like to file a report to HQ that Fiera may be involved in this case, and I suspect that they have a presence here at the Battle Frontier as we speak. I request that I have additional agents dispatched here effective immediately, in addition that the presence of Fiera be verified."

Mars was still sleeping.

"_I'll check with HQ to see if there are any agents we can dispatch,_" the operator said. "_Allow me, and the other operators, about ten minutes to process your request._"

"See that it does so," Looker said. "I'd prefer if you can get it done ASAP, because time is not on our side, and it's a luxury we can't afford to lose. This may very well be classified as an emergency dispatch, so please, be quick."

"_I'll try, agent Looker, but I hope you're aware that the International Police is desperately short on agents with the impeding assembly of the PRU, so there might not be a lot, if any, the IP can spare. All the same, though, I'll see what we can do,_" the operator then shut off the connection.

Looker turned his head over to look at Mars. As expected, she was sleeping soundly. True, Mars proved to be a fitting agent, but there were limits of strength and endurance with this girl. After all, she was a teenager, unlike Looker who was a grown adult and had loads of experience in field work. What? Who was he kidding? Mars had experience with field work too, but of a different kind, of course…

Since he needed to wait for another nine minutes or so before he got a response, Looker took the liberty to hang Mars' coat and put away her shoes. After that, Looker spent much of the many minutes at the room desk where he reviewed his plans. The investigation on the foundry still needed to be completed and he, and Mars, had only about 91 hours to complete the investigation. If nine minutes was what it took to _think_ about how to get there, so be it.

_Marine travel? Air travel?_ Looker thought. Those were the only two options available, and either option was unreasonably dangerous, especially when the potential threat controlling the foundry could be Fiera, for all anyone knew. However, there was still the fact that Fiera presence had to be verified. If the fanatics taking part in regional bombings had anything to do with Fiera, then Looker knew for sure that the IP would have their hands full. He could faintly hope that it wasn't Fiera who were involved, and certainly hoped they weren't in control of the foundry, despite Combat Shirt's claims.

Looker kept review his options for the next while, at least until the operator speaking through the mobile base interrupted his thoughts.

"_Hello, Looker,_" the operator said, and then reported. "_Like I notified you before, the International Police is desperately short on recruits, but you'll be pleased to hear HQ has dispatched agent Essentia to the Hoenn region from Kalos. She'll arrive there in exactly an hour-and-a-half at a designated location. I'll disclose the details to you shortly._"

Essentia…

"Thank you," Looker said.

He left the mobile base on, of course, but Looker left the briefcase alone and went over to the desk to work. Once again, he reviewed his options of how to get to the alleged Fiera-controlled foundry. Marine travel, specifically a boat, was probably too noisy. But air travel had a risk of being spotted by Fiera members should there be any in the foundry.

_We'll probably have to leave by the sixth hour_, Looker thought.

He looked behind to see Mars again. She was still sleeping. Looker went back to his notes.

_So Essentia is helping out with this case too…_ he thought. _Well, there's only one gadget she'll ever need to bring, and not much else._

* * *

Mars woke up.

She woke up to find she was still in the Trainers Village, as if hoping that she had woken up from a bad dream. Nope. There was Looker, sitting at the desk, and… a third person in the room.

Wait. A third person in the room?

Mars slowly got up to rub her eyes. Standing near the room door was a girl who looked slightly younger than Mars was. She had long black hair, blue eyes, and a fragile-looking face. Mars could have mistaken her for some insignificant girl… were it not for the all-black suit she was wearing.

_Ugh…_ she thought. _Who is… who is this?!_

It occurred to Mars that a _third person_, who was not specified in the mission, was standing in the room along with Looker, and this girl stood leaning against the wall near the room door.

"So this is the newest agent, huh?" the girl said. "I was expecting… more."

Looker drew a flat smile, and got up from his desk to stand. It appeared that he wasn't at all surprised to see Mars looking so astonished. The mysterious girl at the door stopped leaning against the wall and stood in the middle of the room, where Mars was just jolted awake by her presence.

"I will not need to say more," Looker said. "Eclipse: as you are not aware of the situation, I have requested to HQ that we have backup to support us. I fear that a two-man infiltration of a foundry will never be the smartest move against Fiera."

Mars opened her mouth to ask a question she had already mentioned before, but Looker beat her to it.

"I know exactly what you're going to say, Eclipse," Looker said. "Who is this third person who managed to bypass the security locks?"

Too bad Looker was wrong, but Mars was curious.

At the same time! Looker saw the frustration in Mars' eyes, and he smirked.

"Alas, I see that you have another question in mind, Eclipse," Looker scoffed. "I can see the fury and frustration in your eyes. Don't ask me how I know this, but it's in my intuition. What is it you want to ask?"

Mars sometimes thought Looker talked too much.

"Again, back to my _first_ question," Mars finally said, "what is Fiera, specifically?"

The girl in the room turned to listen to Looker as well. Looker appeared to be in a mix of thought and fear, but his mind relaxed after several seconds.

"Have a seat, then," Looker gestured Mars to sit on the bed. The girl in the black suit, on the other hand, took Looker's vacant seat.

"Better be quick, Looker," she said. "You know that this will cut into the timeframe."

Mars sat down as Looker paced around the room.

"Let's go back to what we talked about the Pure Freedom Alliance, a subsidiary of Fiera," Looker explained. "Fiera is a crime syndicate and one of the most dangerous crime organisations on the International Police bulletin. From what IP intelligence tells us and from IP dealings with them in the past, they are run by five leadership members. The only weakness we have ever exploited is that they work for a client – so that makes them effectively contract killers or mercenaries. If the IP exposed and arrested the client, there would be no need to stop Fiera, as they have no incentive to keep going. Our main problem is that Fiera is known to be extremely proficient at what they do – that is, intelligence and assassination."

"Intelligence agencies around the world have often attempted to sabotage Fiera and even to the point where they collaborate to eliminate Fiera," Looker continued. "The subsequent problem is that Fiera has international influence and powers. You've seen already what the Pure Freedom Alliance has done recently, carrying out terrorist attacks around the world: they are wholly created and financed by Fiera."

"Going back to international influence, intelligence agencies have tried joining together to fend off Fiera, but in the end Fiera came back for revenge and carried out devastating blows against their respective regions," Looker, for once, grimaced. "To sum it up, Fiera is extremely dangerous. I'll speak for the International Police that we at the IP have enough influence to keep Fiera in check, but if they have already been contracted to attack the PRU… then this is an entirely different matter. It is the reason I have requested backup."

Looker took a deep breath, stopped pacing, and looked at Mars to see her bewildered expression. He figured that it was lot to take in – to condense international intelligence that briefly – but there was no choice. Time was of the essence.

"Okay…" Mars breathed, slowly. "I think I understand."

"Very well," Looker nodded, and then finally gestured to the girl in the black suit. "Eclipse, this is agent Essentia from Lumiose City, in Kalos. Essentia, this is agent Eclipse from Floaroma Town, in Sinnoh."

Mars timidly shook hands with Essentia. "Er… we're not in the field, are we? My name is Mars."

"You're right, we're not in the field," Essentia replied. "My name's Emma."

* * *

**... Dun-dah!**


	10. Agent Emma: Codename Essentia

**I'm afraid I may have been focusing too much on the story and less on 'Cunlinary Rivals', if not counting my schoolwork! Anyway, it's good to be back with a new chapter and all. I'll credit Looker's1fan for keeping up!**

* * *

_**Chapter ten: Agent Emma: Codename Essentia**_

"You're not supposed to use your real names!" Looker shook his head.

"Oh, for obviousness' sake, Looker, cut us some slack!" Mars complained. "Emma agrees with me, we're not in the field! At least we're adhering to the Code."

Looker appeared to want to argue, but his words were cut off by the time he opened his mouth, which gave an opportunity for Emma to cut in.

"So yeah! That's the idea!" Emma said mildly. "So as I said, you're the new agent?"

Mars replied, "Er… yeah, but hey, what did you mean that you were expecting more? I'm not that much older than you, am I? So why say that?"

Emma gestured Mars to sit down, whereas she leaned against the wall. After Mars had sat down, Emma said, "Not that I meant you don't look much, but I thought I was the youngest agent in the force. Also, seeing you're a former member of Team Galactic, I don't know why Looker would have chosen you of all people. That's why…"

Mars understood, even though the mere mention of Team Galactic brought her bitter memories. After all, wasn't the International Police supposed to be an organization for trained professionals? She alone called herself an exception since she was trained under Team Galactic. As far as Mars was concerned, she had no idea how Emma came to be in the IP. Was it even worth asking? Well, one could spare time for curiosity, right? Mars decided, though, that it would make sense not to ask. That seemed more like a private thing.

"I know we're pressed for time, so I won't ask how you came to be with the IP," Mars said, "but I'm curious to know what Pokémon you have."

Right when Mars had said the first, she noticed Looker shift uncomfortably. For a brief instant, Mars wish she hadn't said it at all, but the atmosphere was immediately remedied when Emma gave her answer, and the air was normal again.

"I have an Espurr named Mimi I keep outside the field," she explained, which earned a suspicious look from Looker, "although that Pokémon is currently classified by the IP until this mission is over. Even so, I'm operating with a Malamar for the time being. He's _pretty_ strong!"

After the small exchange between the agents, Looker cleared his throat. "Shall we get to business here? We must focus on the mission."

Mars and Emma directed their attention to Looker, and at the same time Mars picked up her black trench coat, the all-purpose running shoes, and straightened her red-and-black tie. She only just realised her dress shirt was all wrinkly too. Overall, her appearance was messy. Emma on the other hand had no concern for dressing, since she was wearing that black suit.

What exactly was so special about that suit, anyway? Perhaps Mars could ask later, but right now was certainly not the time.

"First thing: I don't intend the two of you to go just yet," Looker briefed. "I'll go first to start a reconnaissance mission of the foundry, where I can relay Essentia intelligence about the foundry before you can move. Collect what data I relay to you, Essentia, and try to generate a three-dimensional map from it and relay it back to the HQ for intelligence purposes."

Looker wasn't surprised when Mars showed an expression of protest. Emma, however, simply nodded for Looker to continue.

Mars asked, "But how are you going to get there? And why can't we come along? And why can't _I_ do anything?"

Looker stared off for a second, considering his plan, before answering, "I'll probably get there by using one of the boats at the pier. It's likely to be the most discreet method of transport to the foundry without causing much notice. Why? Don't forget, Eclipse, that we suspect the foundry is controlled by Fiera, and we cannot leave that to chance. Fiera could assassinate us in one shot if we went together. If you stay here, we'll reduce likelihood of getting noticed."

"That being said," Looker added before Mars could say another word, as he looked to Emma, "I'm charging you with overseeing the security of the Battle Frontier, for the time being. Cooperate with security and sweep for any more bombs Fiera may have planted here."

Emma turned to face Mars. "If Looker needs support, he'll let us know. For now, you hold the fort here until further notice."

Looker turned his wrist to look at his watch.

"You've slept for three hours, Eclipse," he said as-a-matter-of-factly. "Thus, we are now eight hours into the allotted time, which means we have 88 hours left. I will head over to the foundry, and you and Essentia are to monitor my progress, providing support while keeping the base on guard."

He picked up his notebook, badge, and then straightened his coat. Upon reaching the door handle, Looker made the necessary procedures of bypassing the security locks on the door before he cautiously walked out of the room.

"Wait! Looker!" Emma said, as she just remembered something. When Looker did stop to come back inside, Emma tossed him an earpiece. "Your phone should notify you who's calling, but please just use an earpiece for now. It's more efficient."

Mars and Emma, on the other hand, stayed in the room, but Emma wouldn't be there for much longer. Mars turned her focus on operating the mobile base, and Emma stood near the door to manually lock the security gadgets again. After that, Emma checked her suit.

The room was silent, but Mars thought it made sense that way. After all, she was to support Looker in any way possible while he was out there.

"Looker gave us access to the security systems in the Battle Frontier," Mars reported to Emma, who acknowledged the report.

"But how are we going to keep an eye on him once he's out there?" Emma asked.

Mars blinked, not taking her eyes off the screen, but nevertheless replied, "He always has a telecommunications device with him whenever he's out in the field. Knowing the IP, it should have a tracker that keeps him monitored throughout a campaign. We can use that to keep an eye on him."

Emma peeked over Mars' shoulder and examined the screens in the mobile base. Currently, two of the screens were displaying areas of the Battle Frontier courtesy of angled security cameras, while a third screen showed a satellite image that tracked Looker's movements.

"Alright…" she said.

There was a specific instruction Looker had left behind after he left the room: arrange a boat he could use at the docks. Of course the easiest way would have been to steal a boat or commandeer one on behalf of the law, but that – by any means – would expose the presence of the International Police in the Battle Frontier, and that was something that violated the Code. Looker had no intention to break the Code, so he entrusted Emma and Mars to arrange marine transport before he arrived at the dock.

"We can make a booking by phone call," Emma suggested. "I'll have HQ patch it through a secure line, so we don't need to use a phone here."

Mars shook her head, but agreed. "No, Emma, I'll take care of that. You better check the Battle Frontier for any detection of bombs while we're still here. As Looker said, we can't leave anything to chance from Fiera. If Fiera intends to bomb the Battle Frontier, they'll do it."

Emma's eyes narrowed, as if she wasn't willing to take an order from a former criminal. Still, she accepted that the Mars sitting in front of her was a legal IP agent.

"By the way," Mars added before she could forget her train of thought, "what is it about that suit you're wearing? That's not… what is it?"

Emma paused, briefly to gather her thoughts, before opening her mouth to say, "It's a _really_ long story, Mars. Long story short, it's called the Expansion Suit, made by a crime organization called Team Flare. They… used me as a… test subject, for lack of better word. Now they're done and over with, I keep using this suit under the name of Essentia, to defend Lumiose City, and that's when Looker recruited me into the IP services."

The air in the room suddenly felt warm and cold at the same time, and Mars knew the conversation was over. Emma still had some last words.

"This suit gives me a spike in strength and lets me change my appearance," Emma did not smile, but grimaced. "I may be a young girl, but this suit makes me a lot stronger than I look! I don't know about you, but I suppose you can't last two days for something like this."

"Hey!" Mars denied. "I lasted the for at least an hour!"

Emma placed her hand on the door handle to pull it down, but then she heard Mars call out her name ("Emma!"). Emma let go of the handle and turned her face to Mars again.

"Here, take this," Mars said, while throwing her fountain pen in Emma's direction, where the latter caught it by instinct. Seeing the confused expression on Emma's face, Mars smiled reluctantly. "It contains a micro-EMP launcher that should disable the bombs. See if you'll have use for it."

Emma pocketed the pen (somewhere), nodded, and left the room.

* * *

Elsewhere in the Battle Frontier, Looker quietly walked through the streets and paved road of the complex, with hands in his pockets. Being the veteran agent he was, he kept a sharp eye for anything that could be remotely suspicious.

Even if it were obvious.

_Argh, Eclipse. Get out of my head_, Looker thought. Of all things that were obvious… did that mean that Looker couldn't see the obvious? Impossible. He was an incredibly experienced International Police agent. True, his intuition would fail once in a while, but for the most part his intuition was almost always right.

Looker quietly made it through the grounds unnoticed, keeping to the sides as much as he could. Time was running short, in his opinion, so to reduce suspicion, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a gadget.

"International Police Secret Weapon No. 13!" he shouted to himself, whilst holding up the glasses with fake eyes, fake nose, and a moustache. He put it over his eyes while muttering, "The Unbelievable Metamorphosis Set."

If Mars was here, she would not have been impressed. Nor would Emma.

He felt his phone vibrate within his pocket, so Looker took out the device, looked at who was calling, and touched his earpiece.

"_Nice try, Looker,_" he heard Mars' voice coming from the earpiece. "_The HQ is not going to be impressed with this disguise._"

Oh, go figure.

"_Obviously,_" Mars continued, which by hearing that word sparked the image of Mars' face in his mind, "_it will only be me and Emma who will recognise you, however. Sure, your appearance looks obvious, but at least only the IP knows what you look like._ _On the other hand, I have completed the arrangement. Your boat is at Pier 8._"

"Oh, let go of the obviousness, please!" Looker pleaded.

"_What? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?_" Mars' voice changed to one of surprise. "_I only said that your boat is ready, Looker. That's so obvious! Okay, it's obvious to me, but not to you. But if I just told you, then isn't it obvious?_"

The latter, veteran, agent held his breath. Wasn't he frustrated! Nevertheless, Looker kept up his disguise and went forward to the pier. As long as he wore this metamorphosis set, no one would ever know he was an agent of the International Police.

Atelier wouldn't have been pleased either, and he made much nicer gadgets. Looker's personal gadgets didn't seem to hit the mark (on the contrary, they missed it). Speaking of which, Atelier didn't seem to mind the gadgets in the first place.

Looker approached the pier after his walk, where – after a brief dialogue exchange with the staff there – he commandeered a lone white motorboat, with a single windshield, anchored to the dock. Igniting the engine, Looker left without a word.

"_You're finally moving out, eh?_" Mars' voice sounded in his ear. "_About time, right?_"

And Looker knew that Mars would add on an 'obvious' quote in it: it was so obvious. He heard the engine roar to life as he accelerated and heard the rush of wind beside his ears. He had no idea where he was going, since it was dark, but at least the boat provided a built-in map and compass to use a as a guide.

He pushed those thoughts aside, and began to make his journey to the alleged foundry controlled by Fiera. The night sky, decorated with millions of stars, kept watch on him, while the boat set its course.

* * *

**I promise the next chapter will be exciting!**


	11. Bombing Run: End of the Frontier

**Another credit goes to Looker's1fan for reading this! Now, here's the exciting chapter as promised.**

**I've finished my summer exam, so I've been focusing on 'Culinary Rivals' for the most part. But hey, why not update this one?**

**I'll admit this is my take WHY there is no Battle Frontier in OR/AS!**

* * *

_**Chapter eleven: Bombing Run: End of the Frontier**_

Agent Essentia, now with the Expansion Suit's mask covering her entire head (with an orange screen in front, and a yellow 'E' on it, hindering any sight of her face), utilised the suit's powers to increase her agility so she could get to the stairs as quickly as possible. No one had to know she was present in this state.

_That reminds me_, Essentia thought. _I think it'd be better if I left the room through the balcony next time._

She carefully opened the door to check if anyone was present.

It helped to know that Atelier, the IP gadget developer, had made some modifications to the Expansion Suit to suit Essentia's needs with the IP, in addition to granting Essentia powerful physical capabilities. A scanner, along with various communications devices, was equipped around the headpiece of the Expansion Suit – used through the orange screen, and that allowed Essentia to benefit from extra surveillance support as well as keeping in close contact with the IP. In addition, what Essentia saw through the orange screen and scanner could be electronically relayed to an external IP monitor to see Essentia's progress.

In this case, the scanner's activity was monitored by the mobile base in the Trainers Village.

Seeing the scanner picked up no human or Pokémon activity, Essentia tore down the stairs in a matter of seconds, insofar that she made it outside in a few more seconds after that. Well, speed was what mattered today. The PRU was at stake.

It was night already, which suited Essentia just fine. She could utilise the darkness to her advantage and blend into it, and effectively maintaining covert status.

"_I'll keep an eye on suspicious activity_," Mars said. "_If there are any signs of PFA around that I can see, I'll let you know. So far, there's nothing._"

Essentia sprinted forward with unnatural agility. If it wasn't for the Expansion Suit's mask, combined with the added and improved technology developed by Atelier, almost everything she saw would have been a blur. The scanner allowed Essentia to see things as sharp as a Weavile's claws. Night vision was partially granted to her, and Essentia used it well to avoid any incidents with local Trainers.

In fact, at some point, Essentia climbed up the wall of the Battle Frontier's Battle Pyramid with only her hands and feet to its peak. From there, Essentia gazed at the dimly lit Battle Frontier, and patiently searched for any trace of suspicious activity.

"You still can't detect any bomb threats?" she asked Mars.

"_I'm trying, but I really can't see anything peculiar_," Mars answered. "_But as Looker said, we can't leave anything to chance._"

Essentia was about to say something when she felt a shudder underneath her feet. It was first that vibration, and then the unmistakable sound of an explosion followed. The sound of the explosion was loud enough that the entire Battle Frontier could hear it.

"What was that?!" Essentia said, alarmed.

"_Live security footage has detected an explosion underneath the Battle Palace_," Mars reported. "_There's debris scattered everywhere… and the Battle Palace is smoking!_"

Essentia immediately took this note into account and looked around the Battle Frontier once more. To her left, she could notice the familiar glow of fire coming from the distance, and without a doubt knowing that that was fire.

"_I'll assist security coordination for now,_" Mars said. "_Essentia. If Fiera is really intent on destroying Battle Frontier facilities, I suggest you sweep them one more – no, wait! There's a PFA agent heading towards the Battle Dome!_"

"Make up your mind! I'm off to intercept him, then," Essentia decided. As she took off from the Battle Pyramid, starting with sliding down the walls, she said, "Tell all Battle Frontier facilities to evacuate with immediate effect. Set up rendezvous points with security for now."

"_Will do_," Mars replied. "_Just catch that suspect!_"

Looking through her visor, Essentia sprinted toward the Battle Dome. Under normal circumstances, she should have been breathing hard, but the Expansion Suit allowed Essentia to retain normal breathing levels.

_Moving in to intercept_, Essentia thought.

She sprinted up the stairs, and past the charred remains of the Battle Tower entrance (that was now currently cordoned off by security tape, so that no one would be allowed near the site, needless to say that the Tower was temporarily closed).

To avoid being seen by the public as she headed down the stairs, Essentia jumped to the nearest rooftop whilst disregarding gravity, and stood there for a brief moment. Then she jumped to the next rooftop where the view of the colossal Battle Dome was in plain view before her. Jumping to the ground again where there was no light nor any civilians, Essentia dashed to the entrance.

"Eclipse," Essentia muttered. "Where is the agent?"

"_He was last seen coming from the Battle Factory,_" Mars reported. "_You're quick. He's heading to the Dome now… Wait a minute. No. He's just standing there. At the pathway… What is he... he's heading to the Dome again. _"

Essentia took Mars' hesitation as a sign of weakness, and a waste of precious time. "I'm going in to apprehend him right away."

"_I'll get security to support you,_" Mars affirmed, quickly disregarding her previous comments. "_The evacuation of battle facilities is underway as directed, with security forces organising the rendezvous._"

Watching through her visor, Essentia examined that the area was emptied. Officers dressed in blue with caps and suits helped guide the civilians away from the dome and into a currently classified location. Given the recent attack on the Battle Palace, it was too risky to go to anywhere.

_If Fiera intends to destroy every facility in the Battle Frontier, then there won't be a Battle Frontier anymore!_ Essentia grudgingly thought. The thought motivated her, and there was no room left for fear of failing. Mars had disclosed an image of the Battle Palace for Emma to see, via telecommunication, which showed that facility in flames. The images of panicking civilians running away from the facility disheartened Essentia a little…

"There you are," she whispered to herself.

Essentia was about to make her move, even at this distance, when Mars screamed, and but that didn't stop her in her tracks.

"_NO! Essentia! He's got a detonator!_" Mars panicked.

"Not for long," Essentia muttered. "I might need your help here, Eclipse."

In a rapid sprint, Essentia blasted away with a fierce kickoff through the pathway and ended up tackling the suspected PFA agent to the ground. At the same time, after knocking him off his feet, she heard the sound of an object hitting the ground.

"You're too late…" the PFA agent smiled. "The bombs will go off in less than five minutes, and I'll be long gone by then."

Essentia ground a blow to the PFA agent's forehead and knocked him out, which to no surprise caught the attention of passing civilians. Taking notice of this, Essentia picked up the detonator and ran toward the Battle Dome before anyone could realise who she was.

"I'm on my way to the Battle Dome," she reported to Mars. "Bombs are about to explode in five minutes and I have no idea how many he's planted. This is not going well."

"_I'm heading out to the field now_," Mars answered.

"No! Belay that!" Essentia protested her voice fearful.

"_Is it because you don't trust me?_" Mars said questionably. "_I'll secure the suspect. Disable those bombs now! Be careful out there!_"

She had no choice. The trouble was that Essentia had no idea what the bombs looked like, but from deduction she could logically guess that such object of immense power would have to be pretty big, let alone bulky. So, she began the sweep, and tried pushing her body and the suit to its limits.

The safety of the public was at stake. There were people gathering out of the Battle Dome in huge numbers, and they were something that Essentia couldn't afford to leave to die. She completed her sweep of the perimeter to find no suspicious object, so she climbed up the side of the building to sweep.

As expected, there was one bomb located on the roof of the Dome. The crescendo of a running motor was clear that the square box wanted to explode, never mind the heat it was emitting. Taking that pen Mars gave her, Essentia held it close, pressed the pen's cap down with her thumb, and heard the sound of the motor dying down and the radiation of heat growing cold.

_That's one…_ Essentia thought.

She found another one resting inside the lobby of the Battle Dome. As she was dressed in black, and working in silence, no one would notice her walking in and disabling the bomb. That left the inside two levels of the Dome!

The inside was empty in terms of people, but as for suspicious objects, there were a small number of bombs of the same design in the area. How Fiera managed to get these many bombs of this scale inside the Battle Dome was almost beyond her, but Essentia suspected they were smuggled in. There were bombs in the hallways and separate rooms. To open every door was a hassle, and she wouldn't know if she missed a room or not.

Several small-scale explosives were disabled with the use of the EMP pulse. However, Essentia was concerned whether she would shut down all the bombs in time if that meant searching every floor of the dome. That kind of goal was unrealistic. However, given the little time the suspect had to get here, there was no way there were that many bombs could have been planted in time.

Indeed, it was unrealistic to find this many.

It had been five minutes already since Essentia had taken down the PFA suspect.

Before Essentia could register what was going through her eyes, the sound of a single radiating explosion echoed from somewhere else in the Dome. It shook the ground beneath her and threw her off her feet. The walls beside her started to crack in light of the release of energy…

* * *

The rumbling of the explosion caught the attention of just about everyone halfway across the Battle Frontier, despite the distance it had occurred at. Panic ensued, but security officers ensured that the public was well away from the site.

Agent Eclipse was standing beside the detained PFA suspect with two other security officers to aid her. Like the officers, Eclipse wore a stunned expression of surprise.

"That explosion…" one officer whispered.

"A side wall of the Dome has been blown apart, according to security footage," Eclipse reported. Turning to the officers, with the e-Scope Lens deactivated, she said, "Take this suspect into custody and have the Dome secured. I want to check if everyone's okay there."

The officers took hold of the PFA agent, who apparently was still knocked out from Essentia's blow, and walked away.

Eclipse, in contrast, ran to the Battle Dome to find that most of the building was intact – albeit the windows were smashed by the force of the explosion. The only exception was that where the explosion had occurred left the site with a grotesque appearance. The structure of the Dome in that area had collapsed.

"Essentia, are you alright? Essentia, can you hear me?" Eclipse said into her e-Scope Lens. When no response came, Eclipse had to assume that either Essentia had been knocked out or had died. Either way, Eclipse had to help in order to maintain the IP's secrecy.

Upon approaching the site, Eclipse thought it best to check on Looker as of now. He would want to know of this turn of events.

* * *

The boat was still cruising across the Hoenn waters when Looker received the phone call. The foundry was very close now, so Looker cut the engine and answered the call with his earpiece.

"Yes?"

"_It's Eclipse_," Eclipse said. "_There's been another explosion by Fiera at the Battle Dome, and I suspect that Essentia may have been a casualty. I'm not assuming the worst yet, as I'm still looking for her._"

The news brought a stunned silence upon Looker, who stayed like that for half a minute, before he replied, "I see. Well, extract Essentia from the site immediately and see if any medical attention is needed, although done at your discretion. I'm currently approaching the foundry, so I need you to monitor my progress right now. When Essentia recovers, ensure she gets back to the base."

"_Roger_," Eclipse replied. However, Eclipse could – despite Looker's monotonous reply – detect a tinge of concern in his voice. "_I'm surprised that you can reply so evenly in light of news like this._"

"Don't let your emotions get the better of you," Looker warned. "I thought Team Galactic would have trained you for this."

Nevertheless, Eclipse kept quiet and let Looker start his work.

Already Looker could see searchlights decorating the beachhead. Not wanting to be detected, Looker maneuvered the boat to wash ashore a rocky area well away from the main foundry. It was a long haul, but better to stay undetected from the likes of Fiera.

He tied the boat to a spot on higher ground, straightened his jacket and tie, and began the long walk toward the foundry.

* * *

Like the Battle Tower and the Battle Palace, the Battle Dome was now cordoned off from the public with security tape. However, at this point an emergency meeting between the Frontier's owner Scott, the Frontier Brains and security was taking place. On security's recommendations (instructed by the IP, in truth), the Battle Frontier had to shut down indefinitely under it was considered safe.

Scott, as much as he hated to give up on the Battle Frontier he had worked so hard to organise, had to agree with them. Ferries from Slateport City and Lilycove were already on their way to evacuate the civilians from the Frontier.

Meanwhile, Eclipse led a small group of officers to look in the crumbled debris for Essentia. Using her e-Scope Lens, Eclipse hoped to find any trace of life within the Dome. To Essentia's credit, Eclipse was certainly impressed that she had disabled so many bombs in a short amount of time – if Essentia's claim of _that_ many explosives were present, that is. Apart from that, only this section of the Dome appeared destroyed. Every other part was fine, albeit there were smashed windows.

That reminded Eclipse, the bombs were still present in the area. Even though Essentia had clearly disabled them, it was safer to remove them altogether, Eclipse determined.

She walked aside, accessed her e-Scope Lens to communicate with the HQ.

"I need the IP agents stationed at this Battle Frontier to extract multiple explosives that are present at the Battle Dome," she requested, speaking so the e-Scope Lens could pick up the message. "Agent Essentia has disabled them, but they should still be removed and – if possible – examined or destroyed."

"_Understood_," the reply came. "_They're on their way._"

Eclipse, afterwards, helped the other officers to dig through the rubble. Not wanting to waste her own energy, Eclipse sent out her Purugly to help. It would be more efficient this way. Even though this part of the Dome was ruined, Eclipse hoped that Essentia had survived.

* * *

**Muahahahaha, and this is the end of the Frontier. Review!**


	12. Shadowed Infiltration

**With most of my focus having been on 'Culinary Rivals', I really didn't bother updating this story. Oh well! Here I am!**

**Here's a thanks to ClassicalInvention for reviewing. Don't worry! It's fine to be a fanboy once in a while.**

* * *

_**Chapter twelve: Shadowed Infiltration**_

Tired, beaten, crushed, exhausted. How much worse could it get? The last thing she remembered was hearing the shudder of collapsing ground and the sound of an explosive. Yet somehow, she had woken up back at the Trainers Village. How was that possible? Furthermore, her mask was off, but she was still wearing the suit.

Emma found herself resting on the bed in the room where Looker had set up the base. She rubbed her eyes, stretched, and saw Mars' back toward her. Mars alone was focused on operating the mobile base.

"I _know_ you're not allowed to say much, Looker," Emma heard Mars say. "Don't worry! I've got this. Just keep sweeping the area and I'll have a three-dimensional layout mapped with what you've got in the next hour."

"_An hour is an awful lot of time, Eclipse_," Looker said. "_Use it wisely._"

"Be careful out there," Mars replied.

Emma stretched her arms, and then realised that she must have been knocked unconscious for some time. At first she felt like panicking, but since Mars was here operating the base, she figured she could relax for a little bit.

"Oh! You're awake," Mars said, surprised, right when she turned to look at Emma.

Emma had to rub her head before she could even speak. Some of the headache from waking up was still there. "I… How long have I been out for? What's going on?"

Mars was silent for the most part, since she was focused on operating the mobile system. International Police intelligence was providing her with topography images from above, but a ground view was out of the question (unless she could access Looker's eyes, which was illogical).

"If the foundry has a security system, Looker, try hacking into it," Mars instructed. "I can better support you nonetheless if their security systems are down. It will also be easier for me to project that three-dimensional image I was talking about."

"_That will be extremely difficult, Eclipse, but I'll try_," Looker answered. "_Enough talk. For every time I communicate with you, despite using a secure line, I risk getting killed by PFA agents. If Fiera is involved, then we have a huge problem._"

"Roger," Mars said. After that she turned her head to look at Emma. "Yeah, excuse me if you will. It's just that Looker has infiltrated the suspected foundry, and we don't want to take any chances right now. He's been at this for two hours now, but you've been resting for five, save for the hour you spent looking for bombs. All in all, there are 82 hours left. That's fourteen hours into the timeframe. You still need to recover, though."

Mars blinked, and she realised by saying that just how tired she was. She got up to prepare a serving of coffee before she went back to the computer, operating the mobile base. Emma though, said, "I think it would be better if I check for more bombs… wait! What happened to the Battle Dome?"

Mars didn't turn around to reply this time.

"The Battle Dome has been shut down and cordoned off," she reported. "Whatever idle bombs you've disabled with my fountain pen have been removed by IP agents present. I've recovered that pen from you, so to speak."

"On top of that," Mars' voice became bitter, "the Frontier's owner, Scott, and the Frontier Brains have all agreed to shut down the Battle Frontier for good. The damage done by the PFA was impossibly substantial. Needless to say the costs of repairing the facilities have exceeded their budget by far. The news just broke that about the Frontier's shutdown plan."

It took a moment for Emma for the news to sink in, while Mars kept working at the mobile base inside the briefcase.

"No… that's impossible," Emma was stunned. Her reaction was shocked, although Mars didn't notice this.

* * *

Looker had no useful gadgets that would enable him permanent night vision. Even though he had the Excellent Scope Ver. 2 with him, he hesitated to use it unless it was necessary.

Well, that counted now.

"One guard there," he muttered. "Another there…"

Getting inside the foundry itself wasn't going to be easy. Looker was wary that there were a lot of security systems locking almost any accessible entry point into the foundry, and that did not count the number of guards that were roaming the perimeters.

Whatever the PFA had inside the foundry could never be good…

_I'll just have to knock out one of you guys_, he thought.

But before Looker could do that, he whipped out his electronic notepad to scribble notes of the location and area. Knowing Atelier, Looker expected the notepad to include some sort of image program to capture pictures of almost anything. He held it up, took a picture, and went for his throat mic, "Eclipse," he whispered, "I've taken a first image of the foundry. I'll hand it to you when this is over."

Looker put the notepad away before hiding behind a low wall, and waited for the approaching footsteps of a guard.

Waiting… waiting… waiting… The sound of footsteps got closer.

At some point, Looker heard the breathing of the guard directly above his head, and that was when he made his move. Looker stood up, well away from the limelight, seized the guard, pulled him over the wall, and knocked him out before the guard had any sense of what was going on. Afterwards, Looker dragged the body away and hid it inside a foundry container, but not before locking the container away.

He kept his hands in his pockets while staying in the shadows. How he was supposed to get into the foundry was beyond him. If he could find a shred of proof that Fiera were operating here… with ties to the PFA, then there would be more than enough grounds to mount a raid.

Looker analysed the current situation once more, and hoped that there would be an opening.

* * *

The shock Emma experienced still lingered in her eyes, but now she felt like blaming herself for failing to stop the bombs. If only… Mars had told her sooner, or if Looker had stayed here, things might have turned out better. Now the Frontier was shutting down, and all because of… this.

Mars could sense Emma's fury, despite she was working on the image Looker requested.

"If you're thinking of laying the blame on me, or Looker, don't," Mars grimaced. "We did all we could to minimise damage to the Frontier overall."

Emma sighed.

She wished she could have time to get out of this room and walk around, just to release the stress she was feeling, but no – International Police duty had to come first. Walking out there blindly could endanger the mission. So instead, Emma walked around a bit, just to get used to walking again.

She was reluctant to help Mars. Not much so because she was embarrassed by her failure, but by the idea that Mars was still a former member of Team Galactic. Even though Looker, and the IP, assured her Mars was clean, she couldn't help but realise that the same criminal – the former Most Wanted Number Two! – was now employed as a worker in the force.

Could she ever trust her to be a member of the International Police? Well, Emma supposed that what Mars did to help her out of the rubble was enough, but perhaps that was done out of obligation.

"Keep me updated on the Frontier's status…" Emma muttered.

Emma could predict that if Looker really did find evidence of Fiera's involvement – which was most likely the case – then it would follow that the eighteen thousand members of Fiera would be involved too. The PFA agents were merely a subsidiary, but they would be involved full force in the Battle Frontier right now.

"What about the civilian situation?" she asked Mars. The thought of a full force of PFA agents would mean that the public was in serious danger. If anything, the people had to leave the Battle Frontier by any means considered.

Mars didn't reply at first, but she pulled up a file from the Battle Frontier. "There's an evacuation order underway issued by the Frontier Brains. People are taking ferries for either Slateport City or Lilycove right now, and the situation is monitored by our mutual friends from the International Police."

At that, Mars didn't say any more and got back to creating a three-dimensional projection for Looker's- and the IP's – use. Emma sighed, and she walked over to the balcony window to examine the situation outside, overshadowed by the dark of night. Below, tens of people were leaving the Trainers Village and were on their way to the ferries.

"_Is there something you need from us, Eclipse?_" Emma could hear an IP operator's voice coming from the communications channel in the briefcase.

"Yes. IP agents may have told you the Battle Frontier is being evacuated," Mars said. "If anything, they, the Battle Frontier, will want all of us – me, Looker, and Essentia – routed out too. I need their records to show we have left the Frontier."

"_Understood. I'll notify our admins before beginning the process._"

Emma still stood gazing at more and more people, with bags and luggage, being directed by security forces with flashlights and traffic batons through the streets. Elsewhere, in the distance, Emma could see the visible smoke of destroyed Battle Frontier facilities.

"How does this compare to Team Galactic?" she asked, without looking at Mars.

Mars stopped typing.

"I hardly think this is the time to discuss such matters," she said, though with a hint of resentment. "We may have bombed a lake, but… argh. I don't want to talk about it. I wasn't part of that campaign, either."

Emma didn't ask any more questions and left Mars to do her work.

* * *

Looker's Croagunk struck a Poison Jab into the gut of a particularly large-built sentry. Seeing that Looker alone could not take him down, he resorted to using Pokémon. After the sentry had his fill of several seconds of shock, Looker caught his falling body and hid it away.

"Well done, Croagunk," he whispered.

The two of them were still on the foundry's exterior and had yet to find an opening. To save some time, Looker would have to hack into a mainframe so that Mars could use it, and take control of the foundry securities from afar.

He needed time, though. Unfortunately, time was a luxury at a time like this. He needed to be patient, and wait. If there was a computer, or anything like that around, that would come in handy. Since he was waiting, he took more pictures.

"Hey, Steiss! Where are you?" he heard a voice call out. Not wanting to expose himself or the knocked out body, Looker hid near the corner and waited. Quietly as he could, he took an empty cardboard box and put it over himself.

"Steiss?"

Looker heard the unfamiliar rattling of body armour and knew that this was going to be difficult. Cautiously, he peeked from the corner to see an armoured guard, wearing protective armour on his legs, chest, and back, but none on his arms or head.

Still, this guard was massive.

"Hmm…" the guard held a hand to his ear to talk into a throat mic, but at the same time Looker, with the box on top of him, crept a little closer to get a good hearing distance. "Steiss has gone missing. I fear that something or _someone_ may have taken him down."

"_Is that so? That's odd. See if you can get the others and search for him. Tell some of your men to meet at my office in an hour_," a reply came. Well, Looker supposed this was a person of interest. He would have to keep an eye on this one.

The sound of fading footsteps echoed, and Looker quickly discarded the cardboard box before hiding away in the dark. Certainly, there were too many lights from within the foundry, along with security cameras he could detect. However, with the previous guard knocked out, the foundry was sure to be on alert.

For the time being, Looker resorted to taking pictures, and snuck a photo of the armoured guard before hiding away at another vantage point.

The foundry exterior was well guarded, but if he could stay at a good distance without getting sighted, he might be able to gain access to a computer somewhere. He peeked from the corner he was standing at and kept the guard in sight.

_No cameras or security systems. Odd, _Looker thought, as he kept watch on the guard and avoiding cameras and searchlights. Seriously, with all the flashlights and searchlights used at the foundry, the area could be compared with a high-security prison.

Certainly, this amounted to PFA presence as International Police intelligence had predicted.

But what disturbed Looker was if Fiera was actually involved in this mess. He found it strange that around this foundry, there were only guards and lights defending this place. Fiera were more dangerous than that. Was it possible?

"Keep looking, boy," Looker heard a nearby voice say. From the shadow he was standing in, he saw two guards with a Houndoom on a patrol. By instinct, Looker picked up the cardboard box he had just discarded, crouched, and put it on top of himself.

Cramped inside such a closed space, breathing was difficult, and it was dark. But all Looker would need right now were his ears, and he had to make the timing right just in case the Houndoom somehow sniffed him out.

He could hear the sound of his own heart beating, which he knew was natural, but among the many times he had ever done this, it had hardly been with the likes of Fiera, and certainly not with the PFA. Looker needed more experience to know what he was dealing with, and from the looks of the current scenario, it seemed more or less uncertain. The guards here were tough to take down, and security was tight.

He heard the sounds of ever-closer approaching footsteps. Looker held his breath.

Waiting…

Waiting…

Wait, hadn't he had this same experience back at Stark Mountain? The International Police business was, as it always had, getting into his head.

"What is it, Houndoom? Do you smell something?" the approaching guard said.

If it really was Fiera who controlled this foundry, and Looker's intuition suspected they did, then he really had to go mobile. The opportunity to strike had to be close, and such that no one would notice. Plus, he had to keep an eye on the armoured guard.

The sound of the guard and his Houndoom was right beside him. The one weakness was that Looker had the element of surprise, and he was about to take advantage of it.

Standing up, Looker pulled the cardboard box over him and tackled the guard to the ground. As there was a barrier right behind the guard, Looker knocked the guard's head into it to wind him. Croagunk, at the same time, surprised the Houndoom with a Poison Jab.

However, as much as Looker had been an International Police agent, he had underestimated the power of his adversaries. The guard recovered enough to throw himself at Looker, while the Houndoom and Croagunk were dueling away exchanging attacks.

Looker groaned, as the guard tackled his stomach. Upon instinct, Looker quickly brought slap onto the guard's ear to wind him again, and brought an elbow onto the neck, instantly knocking him out. However, after this, Looker noticed that between Croagunk and the Houndoom, the latter had the upper hand.

"Croagunk!" he called.

Croagunk pulled out of the way for Looker to smash into the Houndoom, and knocking it over. In almost perfect coordination, Croagunk reacted by forcing another Poison Jab into Houndoom's side. To keep the chatter low, Looker brought an arm onto Houndoom's mouth to keep it silent, and then laid it down unconscious.

"_I thought this was supposed to be an infiltration, Looker!_" he heard Mars' voice in his earpiece. True, he was supposed to be taking pictures. But moreover, with the limited time granted to him for investigation, he had to find out if Fiera was involved. He needed to access an office or something.

It occurred to Looker that by letting this guard and Houndoom to confront him, he would have nearly compromised the entire mission. At least the infiltration was still on schedule.

That reminded him, he would be better supported if Mars had access to the foundry's security systems. He would have to start there. Where was that armoured guard he was following earlier? Ah yes, off to report to an office. Looker would have to be quick.

Avoiding more searchlights using barriers, Looker proceeded in the shadows to keep an eye on the armoured guard. It hadn't been too long ago since the encounter with him, so Looker kept an eye on his watch to time it right. That guard was due to meet in some office in less than an hour, so there was an opening.

Didn't Mars say she would have a three-dimensional layout of the foundry ready in an hour? Well, it would make things more efficient to keep investigating the foundry. Security was tight still, with guards appearing every two minutes on routine patrol. Honestly, Looker thought Fiera would have kept this place better defended, but it was best not to take chances.

He followed the armoured guard carefully, and kept an eye on the time. Hopefully, in addition to gaining potential access into the defended foundry, Looker would be able to see what was inside and what the whole case was all about.

_Where can I find access to a security system?_ Looker thought. _Even so, how would Mars be able to access it, anyway?_

He pushed those thoughts aside in order to focus on his objective, which was following the guard. Cautiously, he watched the guard continue to the foundry doors. With all the guards patrolling the grounds, the light of searchlights illuminating every seen corner, it made the foundry seem like an impregnable fortress. Looker wondered how to get it – and the opening was this armoured guard.

Given this was a PFA-controlled area, Looker had an idea.

* * *

Precious minutes later, Looker had gone back to where he had laid the unconscious guard and had stolen the guard's hat, jacket, and identification. Needless to say the guard's radio as well. After more precious minutes, Looker was dressed in the attire of a security guard.

However, upon searching the pockets and identification, Looker found no evidence of Fiera's involvement, even though his intuition told him so. No, he needed further investigation. Perhaps now that he was in security attire, he could blend in.

Looker kept his hands in his pockets as he walked into and past the blinding light of a searchlight, as he walked in a soldier-like manner. To his relief, he wasn't noticed much. Some other guards he passed by saluted to him, and he saluted back.

In the sleeve of his left arm, he went on taking continual photos of the area for Mars' use. The more information he could collect, the better things might progress. However, being wary of the constant guard presence around him, Looker kept this behaviour at the utmost discretion.

He checked his watch. It was almost an hour since he had spotted the armoured guard. It was time to see where exactly the subject was.

The doors of the foundry were in plain sight when Looker arrived there. At his discretion, Looker tipped his hat down to avoid being recognised as suspicious as he approached. A group of guards, including the armoured one, were already waiting in front.

"You're late," the armoured one said to Looker. Well, the latter decided to designate him as 'Heavy' for future references. Looker bowed his head and said nothing.

Heavy then turned his attention to the group in general. "We seem to have several of our men unaccounted for. I want you –" he pointed to two of his men, "– to split up and search the area for them. If there's anything remotely suspicious you find, whether human or Pokémon, you have full permission to torture it, and then it has my permission to die."

The two guards left without a word. Heavy then turned his attention to the other guards, which included a certain blended IP agent.

"The rest of you, we report to the head office now," Heavy motioned them to follow him in. He held his identification card in front of a scanner at the doors, and the doors automatically slid open. Silently, Looker took a photo of Heavy holding up his card. At the same time, Looker glanced at his watch. It was almost an hour since he had contacted Mars.

* * *

Upon walking in with the group, Looker became fully aware that where he was going into was even tighter on security. At least two closed-circuit cameras were fixed on every corridor and corner inside. Certainly, the PFA weren't one to take chances.

"_I know you're busy, but I've gotten a rough layout of the foundry ready, Looker_," Mars' voice sounded quietly in his earpiece. "_You're probably wondering how you'll even access the security systems once you get there. Don't worry, Looker. I snuck a virus from my laptop into your notepad while you were preparing to leave the Village, as Atelier taught me. You only need to plug it into a system and I'll take it from there._"

He kept his head down and kept walking with the group. Now couldn't have been a better time to know this information from Mars. He would have to make use of it.

The insides of the foundry were much more hi-tech than Looker, or even the IP for that matter, had anticipated. On the outside, the foundry had an appearance comparable to an abandoned oil refinery, but the interior was newly constructed with polished floors, armoured walls, and reinforced windows.

The group Looker was accompanying walked up a flight of stairs to an upper-level corridor, which included observation windows overseeing the foundry's inside. Curious, Looker snuck a glance through the windows to see what was going on down there.

In the brief three seconds Looker spent looking, he saw what appeared to be a huge block of mineralized ore. Its blackish shine was noticeable from his rough and rocky edges. A group of men dressed in jackets and hard hats had the ore surrounded, and there were searchlights fixed on the ore as well as a positioned laser drill.

_I suppose that's not so unusual for a foundry_, Looker thought.

It did raise questions for Looker, however, that there had to be a reason why the ore was being mined. If the PRU assembly was to occur in less than a week, then according to Looker's personal protocol, whatever happened in this foundry was to be treated as suspicious.

* * *

**Whew! There we go!**

**Now, I better get to studying...**


	13. Undercover and Counting

**I feel reallyreallyreally bad for not updating this story for almost three months, as I was too busy balancing my time with writing 'Culinary Rivals' and balancing that with school. However, to commemorate the republishing of 'Catharsis' two years ago, I'm uploading this chapter as a Christmas gift!**

**Thanks to QUEENSPELLER67 and deviantpokemontrainerjay for the reviews!**

* * *

_**Chapter thirteen: Undercover and Counting**_

"IP HQ is having our details processed now," Mars said to Emma, who was on the floor doing push-ups every two minutes. "I expect we'll have a computerised layout of the foundry in minutes. In the meantime, we'll have composite floor map of the foundry printed out right now."

"That is _so_ old-fashioned," Emma complained.

As she said this, Mars had a paper printed from the mobile base and placed it on the floor. Subsequently, Mars stood up.

"I'll need you to man the base for now. I'll be off for a few minutes," Mars instructed. The reaction she got from Emma wasn't pleasant, so Mars quickly added, "Look, don't take this the wrong way thinking I'm your superior, but I'm only saying this because you're recovering. When you feel better, you can head out, okay?"

Emma's face did not relax.

"I'm going to help out with the remainder of evacuations," Mars said. "If the ferries are leaving, or there're any civilians left, let me know. Also, if Looker contacts you, he'll want the PFA security systems hacked. I'm sure this stuff is part of your expertise."

Mars did not wait for a reply. She put on her black trench coat, straightened her tie, and activated her e-Scope Lens on her way out. On the other hand, Emma went over to the mobile base computer and put on a headset. Perhaps it was out of disrespect or mistrust, or simply because of the limited time they had to operate. There was no room for extra words.

"How goes, Looker?" Emma spoke into the mic, after she heard the door slam shut and the security systems fall back into place.

"_Not now, Emma…_" she heard the whisper.

Although Looker's reply was brief, Emma could detect the tension within his voice, and suspected Looker must be doing something rash. At her discretion, Emma reviewed the maps prepared by the IP and Mars, as well as the three-dimensional layout, in order to familiarise herself with the foundry from afar. However, Emma still kept an eye on the monitor.

* * *

Outside, in the Trainers Village, evacuation was progressive. Although most of the fires caused by the explosions had been put out, there was a large amount of smoke still present in the air. Rubble and debris littered most of the Frontier now.

To Eclipse, she felt like she had walked into a war zone.

Many security officers continued ushering civilians toward the ferries with flashlights. At the same time, three head officers patrolled the docks and buildings with Magnezones floating beside them.

What Eclipse hadn't counted on was the sheer number of people who were still flooding out of the Battle Frontier. In the distance, while she walked around the Trainers Village toward the Battle Pyramid, she saw two more ferries in the distant ocean approaching. Wait, what was it that accompanied them?

Utilising her e-Scope Lens, Eclipse made sure night vision was enabled so she could see the distance. The light rays that formed the frame before her eyes toned down to a shade dark enough that it wouldn't be noticed by anyone, but bright enough such that Eclipse could still see.

Four small boats travelled alongside the two ferries.

"Essentia, what's going on over there?" Eclipse asked, quietly.

"_The news reports that in light of the attacks, Hoenn police have assigned marine units and counter-terrorism agents to escort the ferries. The people's safety is of importance here,_" Emma reported.

Acknowledging this, Eclipse silently walked toward the pier to see if she could help with anything. As an IP agent, though, she would probably have to do more than just ushering. At her discretion, Eclipse scanned the area for anyone suspect. In light of the Frontier's shutdown and the increased police presence, however, Eclipse found that to be unlikely. There were no signs of suspicious behaviour whatsoever, so she closed the gadget.

According to her Pokétch, it was still deep into the night. In addition, the timer on her e-Scope Lens indicated that there were just over 81 hours left in the timeframe. If only Looker could hurry up… if only! She quickly walked over to the pier to oversee more and more civilians hurrying to the pier with bags in hand.

Among them was… wait was that a white bracelet? Perhaps that didn't exhibit suspicious behaviour, but the object gave reason for Eclipse to investigate.

"Essentia," she muttered. "I've got someone who seems to be suspect, given the white bracelet."

"_I'm on it, Eclipse_," Emma replied. "_I've got my eye on it._"

To follow someone was always a strange feeling to Eclipse, and this time she was doing it again. During her days growing up as a part of Team Galactic, and following the organization's collapse, she would have to always be on alert for being hunted. Now, it was her turn to be the hunter. Unfortunately, however, Eclipse did not have enough practice being the hunter, so she was at a clear disadvantage. Nevertheless, it would take time to get used to in the long-run. At this point, it was time for action.

"_You better make it fast_," Emma ordered.

Eclipse picked up her pace in the hopes of catching up to a possible PFA suspect. To further her discretion, she put on the pair of sunglasses that connected with the e-Scope Lens. Now, she could definitely use the gadget without being noticed! Albeit the light rays were toned down so Eclipse wouldn't blind her eyes. Surely, the suspect did not notice her. It was night, the Battle Frontier in panic, and she was wearing a black trench coat to blend into the dark.

"_He hasn't noticed you yet. Action!_" Emma demanded.

"I'll bet 500 Pokédollars he runs," Eclipse joked.

"_1000 Pokédollars says you can't catch him_," Emma replied.

Eclipse made her move. She advanced onto the suspect, most likely a PFA agent. In her left hand was her IP ID. In her right hand was a Poké Ball. She threw the Poké Ball without saying anything at first right at the target.

Only when Purugly burst out of the ball did Eclipse shout, "Police! Hold it right there!"

As she expected, the suspect made a run for it. It was surprising that he could outrun Purugly, but Eclipse measured that he could only outrun her in the short-run. In the long-run, there was no escape. In order to speed things up, and minimise potential harm to the public, Eclipse urged Purugly to run faster, as well as herself, and perform a Body Slam whenever possible.

The pursuit continued along the sides of the pier, near the Pokémon Centre. With the sunglasses still on, she utilised the e-Scope Lens as she ran. The information before her eyes indicated the distance between her and the suspect, as well as whatever details IP intelligence, and Emma, could manage.

"_The target is a known suspect to the IP_," Emma reported. "_Designation: Tattoo._"

So Tattoo really did make an escape from the IP. How did the IP _not_ notice?

As if Emma read her mind, she continued, "_This is a very late report, but a group of three people are reported to have raided the Battle Frontier security office to free Tattoo. IP agents who were on-scene to detain him were powerless to counter the violent attack. On the small upside, at least details of IP involvement have been left classified. They have sustained three wounded. One with life-threatening injuries._"

Mars had to pursue. Not that she was obligated to, but she was well aware of what kind of terror Tattoo would bring if he was left loose. Looker had yet to find evidence of Fiera's involvement, but that didn't mean that PFA agents weren't dangerous.

She kept her eyes on Tattoo as the latter sprinted away. He leapt barriers and pushed people to the ground in an effort to slow Eclipse. Neither Eclipse nor Purugly were having any of that and simply dodged the obstacles. At other times, they had to jump over people.

Perhaps Tattoo had no idea where he was going, and he simply had to get away from Eclipse.

At some point, she became aware of the number of streets connected to the pier. If there was a possible chance of intercept, then a possible way to stop Tattoo in his tracks was to outflank him.

She kept running, but, while trying to keep her breathing pace right, said to Purugly, "Go and see if you can give him a Body Slam when he hits the corner."

On Purugly's part, she took note of the curvature of the pier, and then broke off from Mars' direction. Tattoo was still desperately pushing people aside with Mars in tow, but he was still no farther away from the impending ferries. As much as Eclipse wanted the IP escorts to support her, that would leave plenty of opportunity for the PFA to make an unwarranted attack on the ferries.

Nevertheless, there were too many people already in the premises to risk Tattoo being here any longer. Eclipse kept up the pursuit and hoped Purugly would be able to take down Tattoo when possible. It was, Eclipse figured, going to be a long pursuit.

* * *

At the foundry, agent Looker went on following Heavy and the others to the head office. Under the uniform of a foundry security guard, he ensured that his notepad was safely concealed. The shoes he wore bore little resemblance to the boots of other guards, but that didn't matter. They were black. It was only a matter of time, however, before he would be before the main office Heavy talked about. Well, on the bright side, at least Looker was in!

On the other hand, while he went on walking, the chunk of black ore still puzzled Looker's mind. There had to be a reason why it was here at all. But nevertheless, Looker didn't need to consider it a priority yet. The current situation was infiltration, and that would take some time. It would be more useful to gain control of a security system later.

After passing by what felt like a city block, Heavy approached a room entrance that was blocked by, to Looker's _sheer_ disbelief, a pair of massive thick **blast doors**. The blast doors themselves were impregnable enough already by the mere _definition_ of it, yet it had reinforced armour plates, infrared beams lining up the plating, and three cameras on the ceiling complete with lighting. No matter how Looker saw it, it was impossible to pass through unnoticed. To minimise suspicion, Looker glanced at the other security guards and briefly scanned their faces and emotions. Everyone's attitude looked generally rough and partly neutral. Looker copied their faces, and fell in line.

In total silence, save for the sound of movement, Heavy took out his ID and pressed it against the nearby scanner. The blast doors automatically parted to give way for the group, so they moved through.

As they walked through, Looker was well aware that the security presence was much less than that of outside. That would leave him to conclude that this area must be extremely well defended from the outside in the same way. Even the walls felt just as armoured as the entry doors. There were plenty of offices, but also meeting rooms that looked too modern for the foundry itself. It was probable that these were newly developed and installed.

Not to mention favouring Looker's theory that Fiera was involved. But then again, he would require more evidence.

They walked all the way to the end of the corridor, and Looker was astonished that – despite the small appearance of the foundry – the insides were long and wide beyond comprehension. Perhaps it was exactly why the PFA would want to use this place as a base. The question was, if it was a foundry, what was the PFA doing here? The only hints Looker could get so far was that huge mass of black ore in the previous area. There had to be more than just that.

The conference room they had just entered was a white box with fixed ceiling lights, black metal chairs, and a table. There was a water cooler in the corner and at the head seat, a man dressed in a khaki shirt and shorts. He was wearing sunglasses.

"Have a seat," he said. Heavy took a seat and motioned the rest of the guards to stand at the wall. "You tell me that Steiss has gone missing. Could you explain?"

"I have a suspicion someone may have infiltrated the foundry and took him down," Heavy answered. "Now, I might be getting ahead of myself. It could have been a Pokémon that took him down, but I know Steiss is a tough guard. He won't allow wild Pokémon to get to him easy. Even if it happened to be the might of Rayquaza."

The 'leader' stared, and slightly relaxed, but not by much. "Then it may be true that he would have been taken down by a Pokémon or by someone. Still, we can't take any chances. I'll see to having reinforcements arriving within three hours. The master is not going to like this."

Reinforcements.

That would mean… more PFA agents? Looker began to grow impatient. What was this 'master' this man was talking about? Great… that would warrant further investigation, as if Looker already had plenty of things to note already.

Moreover, he was certain that sooner or later he was going to have to make up a story to leave the foundry and return to the Battle Frontier. Mars – er – Eclipse was going to have to do her part to infiltrate the foundry too. He had expected the PFA to heighten security, but what he hadn't counted on was for the PFA to send additional reinforcements. Unless… they weren't PFA agents at all. Furthermore, if Looker had three hours to operate before additional security was added, he would have to be fast.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do much until he was out of this room. Heavy turned to face the guards and said roughly, "I want all of you to relay the message to all guards that something or someone may be attacking our grounds. Resume regular patrol but this time in groups of no less than four. Am I clear on this?"

Looker followed the response of those around him, by giving a solid nod. After several minutes, Heavy dismissed the guards and they all left the room. Outside, the guards went in the direction of the blast doors, but Looker quietly stepped aside to look around the area. It was fortunate that although security cameras were positioned all around the foundry, and particularly at the blast doors, there were none behind the blast doors. A weak point. Looker expected such that the PFA weren't keen to have surveillance _everywhere_, so he would make use of it. However, the reality was that the PFA were deadly enough in its own right.

Speaking of deadly, Looker thought as he snuck carefully past the corners, he still needed to create some pretext to divert the PFA's attention away from him. Something to do to ensure the case of missing guards won't be deemed suspicious. As of now, what mattered was finding a control room of some sort. If there were security cameras around the foundry, then there had to be a room that monitored with those cameras. The best bet, according to his intuition, was that the room would be behind the blast doors. There would be no reason why it would be elsewhere. That was perfectly obvious. Obvious. Obvious. Obvious.

That was Mars' voice echoing into his mind, which Looker found irritable.

And then there was the main issue of getting out, as the blast doors were the only way of exit. In order to do that, he would have to gain control of the security systems so that the blast door cameras could be overrun, let alone the blast door itself.

Quietly and quickly, Looker walked past rooms in the hopes of seeing any clues. There had to be a security room. There had to be! At his discretion, Looker took more pictures of the halls and the offices. If he had time, he would take more pictures of the black ore in the previous area for further police examination and – most likely – investigation regarding the PFA. Any connection to Fiera would require drastic measures, but that was not in Looker's current mandate.

He heard the approaching footsteps of someone down the hall and knew Looker had little place to hide. As fortune would have it, there was an intersection in front of Looker, so he cautiously looked at both ends before hiding at one of the corners. He peeked around the corner to take into account who was there.

It was a PFA agent, judging by the white bracelet, but fortunately not a guard. Looker, still in guard uniform, cautiously waited for the agent to pass through. But the agent did not approach Looker's direction and instead knocked on the nearby door across the wall, from where Looker was observing.

"I've got a coffee ready for you," the agent said. Right after he said this, the door could be heard unlocked and automatically swung open to let the agent pass. The smell of coffee wafted all the way to Looker's nose, and Looker could feel his mouth water.

Coffee.

Coffee!

When was the last time he had had coffee? Ah, yes. Right before he and agent Eclipse had arrived at the Battle Frontier. Slowly, Looker could feel that tingling addiction swell in his mind. He needed coffee now.

He mentally slapped himself. This was no time to be thinking about coffee! Not when he was right under the PFA's nose. Cautiously, Looker peeked around the corner again to glance inside the room. At the angle he was looking, he could only see a dark room, yet there was the familiar light of computer screens illuminating the walls. That had to be a place Looker could stake where the security systems were based. Taking on one PFA agent, if there happened to be only one in the room, was much simpler than taking on two. Especially when the foundry was placed on a slightly higher degree of alert. At the very least Heavy wasn't there, or that would have been a problem.

As soon as the sounds of the PFA agent's footsteps faded away, Looker made his move. The door was thankfully still unlocked, which made the process so much easier, so Looker prepared to throw his Poké Ball into the room before walking in. But in the last minute, he hesitated and decided that a surprise attack was unnecessary.

Looker quietly closed the door shut before the agent in the room could say a word.

"Hey, you, what are you doing?!" the PFA agent cried.

In the briefest instant, Looker examined what the room was like, which contained many computers, databanks, and – as expected – a security monitoring system. Within seconds, Looker had a plan of attack.

"I've been asked by the rest of the guards to check on your records here, because we may have a lead," he fluently lied. "What have we got?"

The agent gave a questionable look at Looker, but he turned around to face the computer screens. First he accessed different cameras, including ones which Looker had never noticed in the first place, and then replayed records. From the expression Looker was receiving, there was nothing new.

"I see…" Looker kneeled down to place his Poké Ball on the floor before continuing to observe not only the cameras, but the computers as well. Indeed, much of the information found here were security details of the entire foundry. This was the place Looker was looking for. "The idea is that we have missing guards and security footage may have caught something. I need to know what it is."

"I haven't monitored any such activity," the agent said.

Right after that, the PFA agent collapsed to the ground after being hit with a very silent Vacuum Wave, courtesy of Looker's Croagunk.

Immediately, the PFA agent was knocked out and Looker carefully placed him under the computer table. Although the PFA agent was knocked out, Looker would have to find a way to cover his tracks to prevent discovery. Knocking out the guards outside was one thing, but it would be harder to make up a story of how an agent would be knocked out inside the foundry. No. It was safer to remove the agent completely.

Finally, Looker took out his electronic notepad and plugged it into the computer's hard drive. As soon as he plugged it in, a pop-up window showed the transfer of Eclipse's virus into the security mainframe.

"_Hurry up…_" he whispered. It was only a matter of time before PFA agents would show up. Judging by his watch, Looker had an hour before additional PFA reinforcements could arrive. Wow, two hours went by fast. He could not afford leaving his notepad in the room or risk blowing his cover. To ease his tensions, Looker picked up the cup of coffee and drank it completely.

* * *

**And there's... more coffee for Looker, eh...**


	14. Fragmented Dilemma

**I feel like I owe deviantpokemontrainerjay I huge debt since I haven't updated this story for so long. Between studying at university and working on 'Culinary Rivals', I barely touch this story! Anyway, now that my midterm has ended, I've freed up some time. To compensate, I've made this chapter a bit longer!**

* * *

_**Chapter fourteen: Fragmented Dilemma**_

Emma finally received notification that the computer virus Eclipse had mentioned to her earlier was taking effect. A direct channel connecting the IP mobile base to the foundry security systems was establishing in the very moment.

She began the mission late, but Looker made it clear to her that the operation was bound in a 96-hour period. It seemed like a lot of time, yet the PRU's meeting would occur in a little more than two days after that. For a high-level investigation involving a criminal organisation, 96 hours was not a lot of time.

_Come to that, we are now 17 hours into the operation_, she thought.

"Is it going well there, Looker?" she asked him.

"_Whatever virus Eclipse has stored in my notepad is probably the most complex thing I've ever seen_," Looker reported. "_I'll thank IP intelligence for that. For you, Essentia, I'll need you to hack and take over the foundry security systems once the virus is uploaded. Trust me, this is a long process, and I can't risk leaving while the virus is being installed._"

Emma paused, before saying, "I'll see if Eclipse needs help, otherwise, I'm staying put."

* * *

A two hour pursuit. That was how agent Eclipse would describe it in a nutshell.

Emma had relayed Mars' request for the ferries to halt until Tattoo was contained. To have him here posed too great a risk to the people present already, and would get worse if Tattoo had striking distance of the ferries. On the other hand, security officers received their orders from IP agents present, who were carrying other wounded IP agents to the pier as well.

But now, Eclipse, Purugly, and Tattoo were well away from the pier. The pursuit was still ongoing and they were running through the streets of the seemingly post-apocalyptic atmosphere of the Battle Frontier. Only few lights remained on, with the Battle Tower being the last beacon of light on the island. The attempt Purugly made to take down Tattoo had ended in a failure when Tattoo happened to turn into the side street Purugly was running on, and ended up leaping over the tiger-cat Pokémon before running toward the Battle Factory.

Purugly subsequently regrouped with Eclipse and they kept pursuing.

Meanwhile, Tattoo wasn't keen on getting further from the pier, so he ran near the Battle Factory. With her Team Galactic-style mind into gear, Eclipse calculated that it was only a matter of time before Tattoo would turn back to carry out an attack on the ferries.

Oh, how she wished she didn't want to think like a Team Galactic commander anymore. It haunted Eclipse, but alas, it still had its uses. But still, Eclipse hoped that that mindset would go away sooner or later.

She could feel the smoke she breathed drying up her throat as she ran and was now wishing for water. If it kept any longer, for maybe another hour, she would collapse. Her Team Galactic mind hit again and measured that Tattoo would have to collapse at some point too. Of course, she took into account that Tattoo had a better physique than her, so that would make things complicated.

Again, the best option was to outflank him.

The constant whiff of smoke made it excruciating to run, and the dense night air did not cool down, with the smoke isolating the heat in the Battle Frontier. It was so unlike what Eclipse experienced in Sinnoh, where it was much cooler. Hoenn was hot, and dressing up for a pursuit was not ideal in her opinion. As much as Eclipse wanted to take off the coat, she had an internal desire to adapt and overcome.

The part of her mind insisted that Tattoo would be expecting another ambush from Purugly, so she had to come up with another outflanking plan of attack. The other part of her mind, still working like it did in her Team Galactic days, measured exactly what to do to take down Tattoo.

Because the Battle Frontier in this area was divided into streets and sections, with the Battle Factory at the end, there were plenty of potential areas where Eclipse could mount an ambush on Tattoo when the time came for him to turn around. Eclipse had it worked out. It would take another ten minutes before Tattoo would make a turnaround toward the pier when he reached the Factory. He would only do so if Eclipse kept up the pressure.

So Purugly, despite her size, was impressively quick to catch up with Tattoo, yet Tattoo was able to still able to keep his distance from his pursuers. Eclipse figured that was what was expected from a terrorist organisation. They had to be physically fit such that if they ever encountered the law or the police, they would end up with two choices: fight or flight.

To her personal shame, Eclipse knew this very well. She had been through such stages before when she marshalled Team Galactic, and back then all she did was run. But not today. Today, she was here to arrest what reminded her of her former self.

The distance from the pier was even greater now. Far across in the distance, Eclipse could see that pier across the waters from the Factory location. The boats were beginning to dock with Hoenn police and counter-terrorists setting afoot on the ground. The ferries, by order of Eclipse, were not allowed to come any closer than 500 yards from the pier, to avoid the risk of attack by the PFA. Until the situation with Tattoo was under control, they couldn't move. Much to the panic of the civilians.

The pace was going well, and by the time Eclipse and Purugly had approached the Factory, it had been precisely ten minutes since she had completed her calculation and Tattoo, rather than keep going straight past the Factory, had veered off to the right. In the brief instant he did, Eclipse found a slight bit of panic in his motions. No doubt, Tattoo was getting desperate. With a silent gesture, she directed Purugly to intercept as well. It was a matter of time before Tattoo would be coming around in the direction of the pier, so Eclipse made the most of it. Just one chance of interception was fine, and she expected Tattoo wouldn't risk climbing on a rooftop, because that would mean more borrowed time for civilian evacuation.

"_He's trying to go around the back,_" Emma's voice noted in Eclipse's ears. "_It may be dark, but at least these cameras have night vision._"

After running at two more turns, Eclipse was behind the buildings Tattoo had disappeared to. No doubt that he was heading back to the pier as she had predicted. The street was dimly lit, save for the glum reflection of metallic walls against the constant burning of the Battle Frontier, and the street lights shining in the corners. It appeared that Tattoo was intent on running straight back to the pier where the ferries were. Eclipse wasn't going to let that happen.

In the heat of the moment, at the side alley, Eclipse saw the leaping shadow of her trusted tiger-cat Pokémon in the dim light. Perfectly timed, a Body Slam attack was executed without haste from Purugly.

Caught by surprise, the suspect Tattoo collapsed to the ground with the heavyweight of Purugly on top of him. This for certain caught the attention of the few who were in the surroundings, but it didn't matter to Eclipse. What mattered was apprehending this man. She quickly locked his arms behind his back and pinned the back down with her knee. A show of force was likely necessary to take down Tattoo, and she could feel him trying to find the strength to get up. It was a struggle, but Eclipse was not going to let him escape this time.

"Essentia, I'm going to need backup –"

"_Eclipse! Careful! There are four people closing in on you!_" Emma warned.

Eclipse looked up and around her. What she saw was not the most pleasant sight, whereas there were four menacing-looking people coming from one direction, walking together in unison. Were those Pokémon who were leading the charge? If so, then it made things worse when the four people were _armed_.

"Tell the ships to evacuate the civilians now, and make sure the evacuation is strictly enforced," Eclipse requested. "I'll need your help on this one, Essentia. I need backup."

She contemplated taking out one of the two Poké Balls Atelier had given her to serve as a distraction, but she thought it better to save those for later. For good measure, she struck Tattoo's neck to knock him out (but not kill, obviously) so she could deal with the others.

The four people drew closer, and Eclipse soon had Purugly ready to fight.

"Prepare to die, young lady," one of the people said mockingly.

Eclipse was not startled. Her eyes narrowed as she prepared to face her adversaries. "I should be asking you that."

* * *

In the Trainers Village where the temporary IP base was still in effect, Emma was troubled. As much as she could help Eclipse, she had just received communication from Looker that the virus was preparing its installation into the foundry security system. To leave that unattended was the last thing she would want because Looker may not have a better chance of hacking in nor would he have a better chance of leaving the foundry alive.

"_I'm afraid this is the only one chance we have at cracking their securities_," Looker explained. "_You'll have to override them on your part if we ever have a greater chance to takeover. They can still operate it, but we can both monitor and control them. At least, that's what Eclipse said._"

The real-time computer screen Emma was working on showed the directives and security mainframe of the foundry. As the virus Looker was installing took into effect, Emma had more to work with and, when the virus was fully installed, Emma could begin the hacking process and take over the securities before the PFA found out. On the other hand, the separate Battle Frontier security monitor showed Eclipse initiate what looked like a street fight.

"I'll try to help you when I can," Emma said to Eclipse. But to her slight disbelief, Eclipse did not reply and instead looked focused on preparing to fight. Well, if Eclipse was going to fight, so be it. "I can't promise you anything though, but I'll evacuate the civilians."

With no further reply, Emma watched meticulously at the loading screen. It wouldn't be long before the virus was installed now, but wow, did it take a while. It took time, and with more time expended, that would be less time in the 79 hours they had left. But in the time Eclipse spent pursuing, and the time needed for the ferries to dock, it would look more like 78 hours.

That being said, the time was better spent starting the evacuation. Emma marshalled the security forces to begin evacuation now, and surveillance showed the ferries getting closer to the pier. The ferries moved slowly, and the people were getting desperate, impatient, and worrisome.

* * *

It would be an hour before additional PFA reinforcements would arrive, Looker measured. With the clock against him, Looker wished he could speed up the process somehow. He had no doubt, and it was not help knowing, that whoever would be arriving would have the skills of trained assassins like other PFA agents. Nevertheless, the styles were reminiscent of… not Fiera, but International Police training. Perhaps the IP had been working behind the scenes? No, that was too easy.

He crouched down at the desk and heard the sound of footsteps walking in the hall outside. Still clad in security guard uniform, Looker contemplated putting on a disguise, but he didn't want to make himself more suspicious than he already was. No, it was better to keep in the uniform, and that was that. The room was dark as it had always been and was only illuminated by the light of computer screens. If what Eclipse said was true, the three-dimensional project she had been working on would be completely useful once security access was gained. Looker kept a close eye on the monitor displaying the upload, and became more fretful when the upload was slowing down, whereas there could be a PFA agent walking down the corridor just outside.

"_The upload's almost done_," Emma reported.

Looker's hopes nearly went up, but he kept them down to anticipate the worst. Indeed, as he drank the rest of the cup of coffee, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Was that the sound of more than one person out there? To make matters worse, Looker was aware that there were no cameras in the building he was in because the only way in and out was through the blast doors, so he couldn't use the security system here to check who was out there.

Deciding not to risk it, Looker made sure the door was locked before he went on to check the uploading virus.

"_Okay, it's done,_" Emma said. "_I'll be hacking into the security mainframe now. You are clear to get out of there, Looker._"

Taking this as encouragement, Looker prepared to leave, but not before whispering into his mic, "That virus should give you sufficient time to hack in, but it won't last forever. Hurry up and get that security system down."

After this, Looker unplugged his notepad from the hard drive and quietly went for the door. As he planned earlier, it was better not to leave the PFA agent in here in case another PFA agent discovered him there. Like the security guards he knocked out outside, Looker planned to make up a story to cover his tracks. He picked up the unconscious agent while sending out Croagunk to help him carry the agent.

Looker opened the door with one hand to peek outside. PFA agents were well close by, and on Looker's personal agenda, he had to be back to the Trainers Village, to the base, by the 24th hour, which was a little over six hours away. But in light of the fact that reinforcements would be arriving in less than an hour, Looker had to get out of the foundry by the 18th hour, or else face greater risk and less likelihood of fleeing if that hour arrived.

"How much more time does the hacking need?" he whispered as he prepared to leave the room, where the PFA agents outside seemed further away.

"_Eight minutes,_" Emma reported. "_Get out of there, Looker!_"

At the point when the coast was clear, Looker checked outside, and slowly dragged the unconscious body out of the room, with Croagunk. If Emma managed to hack the systems in eight minutes, she would be able to manipulate the blast doors surveillance so that alarms wouldn't go off once he went through. To make sure to cover his tracks, he would have to personally talk to Heavy once he was prepared to leave. He just hoped he would be able to get out in less than an hour.

That was _not_ a lot of time. Not a minute could be spared.

* * *

Emma felt like she was stuck in a hole, caught between two conflicting decisions. On one hand, she had to stay to help override the foundry securities and this was her one best chance to do so. On the other hand, there was a chance that she would be risking Eclipse's life as well. This was a trade-off she was facing, where she would have to focus on helping one life at the expense of the other. Emma hardly came to decisions like these, and she had to choose the one with the best outcome.

"I can't help you, Eclipse," Emma said in an even tone. "Looker just uploaded the virus and I need to help him…"

Again. No response.

* * *

Unrelenting force was what defined both agent Eclipse and Purugly now. With speed, Eclipse dodged lethal punches and swings from her attacks and came back with her own attacks. Purugly attempted to use Hypnosis, but the attackers moved too quickly for a successful hit, so Purugly had to resort to using physical force.

Despite being a young woman, the training Eclipse had as a commander with Team Galactic proved to be useful here, and allowed her to rapidly defend herself whenever needed. That moment was now, when a gang was practically bearing down on her, and she was cut off from support besides Purugly. As a Team Galactic commander, she treated Purugly as a tool, but the situation has changed since that day Kellyn helped her out of predicament. Now as an IP agent, Eclipse and Purugly were partners.

She instinctively ducked her head down to avoid contact with the metal bar one of the attackers swung at her. Upon careful inspection, Eclipse could see they were also wearing white bracelets. So the PFA was here. These were fanatics she was fighting against. However, taking on four people at once was not ideal, given there was only her and Purugly. Initially, two of the PFA agents lunged forward to tackle her, but Eclipse swiftly avoided the tackle and brought several fists down on their backs to force them to the ground. Purugly assisted by throwing Body Slams everywhere, where she missed three of them but immobilised the fourth.

Eclipse brought her arms up to block further strikes from the three remaining PFA agents. True, the blows from fists and metal rods hurt _a lot_, but at least some defence proved effective. She frequently had to take a step back to absorb the blows she was getting, but at the same time aware that for every step taken back she would be heading closer to the pier, which was the last thing she wanted.

Thinking as critically as she could, she was able to bring a punishing kick onto the knee of one of her attackers, making contact with the kneecap with the bottom of her all-purpose leather running shoe. He staggered a little, which allowed Eclipse to kick him to the ground.

In an effort to become more agile, Eclipse dropped her bag against the wall along with her black trench coat. Now left in her white dress shirt and black pants, along with her red-and-black tie and the e-Scope Lens (still concealed), she became more agile and was able to dodge more potential blows against her. Granted, one less layer of clothing meant she would get her sleeves dirty, and it hurt more.

Oh well. It was a part of Team Galactic training to do so, anyway.

However, for one such as Eclipse who had fragments of her Team Galactic mind and reflexes within her, she was still a mild-mannered young woman at heart, she still. She thought she had that old mindset exterminated when Kellyn helped her out that day, but it was apparent that the Team Galactic fragments still had a place within her. In some twisted sense, it was appropriate to use those tactics under these circumstances, but the mild-mannered side of Eclipse tried to suppress it whenever possible. How was it possible to manage it when she was clearly under attack, at the possible brink of death?

While Team Galactic training was ingrained in her style, Eclipse could tell that that was separate from what was left of her Team Galactic mind, which was responsible for all the calculations and relentless reflexes she could do. However, her other mild-mannered side did try to keep herself cool unless she couldn't hold back, and her training did make her more advanced.

Eclipse still attempted to fend off her attackers, but two of the three people went to seize her arms and slam her against the wall. The third person was battling Purugly with a pipe at first, but resorted to using bare hands to fight her off. "Die," was the single word Eclipse heard before one of the two people attacking her brought a series of punches to her stomach. Every blow made her want to cough and throw up, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. However, she sure felt like it was over.

At least until Eclipse began to think like a Team Galactic commander again. Granted, it did have its uses, as she was all too aware. Eclipse jumped to bring her feet against the wall, as the constant punches continued to occur, and she pushed against the wall to force her attackers to release their grip. Subsequently, she flew forward to the ground, grinding against it and messing up her tie. Getting up, she took off at breakneck speed to deliver a flying kick to Purugly's attacker and crippled him to the ground.

By the time Purugly and Eclipse were able to recover, the latter suddenly became self-conscious as to what she had done. She looked at both her hands for a moment. Just how _did_ she do that? How did she turn from being trapped against the wall by two people and ultimately took out a third person? Plus, it was executed almost perfectly.

* * *

Emma was speechless as to what she just saw.

She had heard and reviewed the records of what Eclipse was capable of as a Team Galactic commander, but never had she seen it in person; never seen Eclipse act so aggressively using nothing but her body and her wits. It was interesting to see, but it was also daunting.

However, she managed to hack into the PFA's security and had gained access to the surveillance systems of the foundry at her discretion. The 17th hour was almost up and Looker still had to get out of the foundry. Just how was he going to get out of there, anyway?

"Good news, everyone," Emma said. "I've gotten into the foundry security systems."

"_About time,_" Eclipse snapped back. "_I won't need your help now. I can handle this myself!_"

That hurt.

"_I'll need you to shut down some systems for me, including the blast door,_" Looker requested at the same time. "_They'll be arriving soon and I've just thought of an idea of how to get out. Hurry, agent Essentia, or I won't be getting out alive._"

Suppose Emma only had one course of action.

* * *

**What did Eclipse get into now... :(**


	15. A Somber Dawn

**It's been far too long since I've ever updated a chapter! It's even harder when you've got school (second year) and work and working on separate chapters at the same time! It's been over two months since I've updated 'Eclipse'!**

**Well, I have the summer off, so I'll try to keep writing. But wow it's getting hard to write these days. My imagination must be getting dull.**

**Apologies to deviantpokemontrainerjay for the insanely long update.**

* * *

_**Chapter fifteen: A Somber Dawn**_

It was not anger nor fury that Eclipse was feeling right now, but it was more like a feeling of both shame and betrayal. On the one hand, she wasn't pleased at that Emma did not help her, but on the other hand, she knew it was her own will which wanted Emma to help Looker with the security systems. On the whole, that seemed justified.

However, as she stood with Purugly before three unconscious bodies in the back, Eclipse couldn't help but feel a deep shame within her. Twice, she had experienced what it felt like to be a Team Galactic commander again. Once, for calculating a time to capture Tattoo, which seemed justified as it certainly helped her apprehend him. But the second time was for performing very violent actions which resulted in the complete knockout of three more people before her, save for the fourth knocked out by Purugly. Although it seemed justified to defeat these people regarded as terrorists, Eclipse wished she never had to think with _that_ mindset at all.

_What… have I done?_ Eclipse thought to herself.

She fell to her knees, but Purugly pushed her to stand up. It didn't matter if defence was justified. She still felt ashamed.

When Eclipse regained her composure, she reluctantly communicated with Emma to send some Hoenn security officers to arrest the four men plus Tattoo. She was still on her knees, and only did when she took some deep breaths to get her mind in place.

As well, she breathlessly dusted off her sleeves, picked up her black trench coat to put it over her shoulders, and then picked up her bag. Her stomach still hurt from the fight, but she would have to get used to it until she could recover. She needed medical attention and water, and by the time security officers arrived to support her, she was already on her way toward the Trainers Village.

"Ma'am," one officer said to her, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Eclipse said flatly. "Just make sure these five are strictly contained. The tattooed one is suspect to the PFA, and I want him receiving strict surveillance."

Afterwards, Eclipse limped away in the direction of the Trainers Village while the officers were busy bagging the heads of the detained suspects and handcuffing them. It wouldn't be long before additional officers would arrive to secure the area and keep it contained.

Elsewhere, before Eclipse did head off for the Village, she went to see to the ferries. Most of the people who had lined up earlier had disappeared, and the ferries showed hundreds of people at the windows and decks. Well, at least Eclipse had managed to fulfil one part of her duty as an IP agent.

There were 78 hours left in the timeframe and Looker and Croagunk had successfully managed to get past the blast doors undetected _with_ the body of the unconscious PFA agent in tow, courtesy of Emma who had temporarily disabled the cameras and projected fake images instead, whilst also temporarily silencing the alarms. As of now, they had carefully maneuvered into the exterior corridors and past the room with the black ore. Amazingly, they were able to pass through undetected to the outside doors, in spite of being extra careful not to run into any more agents. With the security system under their control, the PFA had no chance of getting any support from it.

However, as Looker was too aware, getting out of the foundry was still going to be a problem. While he stowed the body away to the side, he began to execute his plan. Not forgetting he stole a radio from the guard he knocked out, he twisted the dial a little to eavesdrop on communications.

"… _to the commander,_" said a voice.

"_I'm here. What is it?_" It was Heavy's voice.

"_Reinforcements are arriving at the west dock. We'll expect them to be fully unloaded soon_."

"_Thank you. Tell them to meet me outside the head office. I'll brief them there._"

So they were here already. No, he had to get out of here now. Checking his watch for time, Looker made it clear that his setup were in place. Neither the PFA nor Fiera were stupid. If the PFA could find anything remotely suspicious of his act, he would be dead for sure.

That reminded Looker, that he still found no evidence of Fiera's involvement here, despite how probable it seemed. If he had more time, he would have stayed in the offices to search for clues. But the timeframe wouldn't wait, nor would the reinforcements. Once he returned to the base, he would have to send Eclipse or Essentia to further investigate.

On one part of the island, the beachhead was well-defended with searchlights on defence posts and mines. If things could get deadly serious, the mines were an excellent example for anyone wanting to mount an amphibious assault. The PFA were prepared for anything, it seemed, so Looker made a quick note on his notepad at his discretion. Knowing that Emma had control of the security system, he expected it was safe enough to do some of his own things in plain sight.

"Take control of the cameras that might see me, Essentia," he muttered, while carefully going down the stairs toward the sand. "Now I know that the PFA can't use them if they tried, but take control all the same."

He threw the unconscious PFA agent near the beachhead and, after ensuring that the coast was crystal-clear, went for the radio he stole. If all went well, he would be able to use it as a diversion to lure the PFA reinforcements there, instead of letting Heavy provide a briefing for them. Afterwards, he set about finding Tentacool near the beachhead, while taking extra care to avoid the mines.

When he did run into a few Tentacool, Looker quickly knocked them out and got Croagunk to drag them over to the unconscious guard. Now that he had a plan, Looker went for his stolen radio to talk into it.

"I think I've got something near the beachhead, repeat," he said into the radio.

"_Copy that. What have you got?_" he heard Heavy's voice reply. Looker did not find it strange to be talking with the head of security personally, nor was he nervous. It was part of his job description as an agent for the International Police. Moreover, it was going according to his plan. Looker was also aware of the cost associated in that he would heighten security, but it yielded two benefits. The first, it would be an effective diversion, and the second, security was already heightened in that reinforcements had arrived.

"I have one of our men found unconscious on the beachhead," Looker said. "Now don't ask me how he got there or if I've seen anything, because I didn't. I just do what I'm told."

There was silence on the other end of the radio.

"_Good work,_" Heavy commented. "_I'll see to using our reinforcements well to enforce the loose spots, since there won't be time for briefing. I'll be sending a squad to investigate this._"

Half of what Looker expected was going according to his plan. So Heavy was going to divide up the reinforcements right away to patrol the foundry, but now Looker faced the problem of actually escaping from the island. He supposed the simplest solution was the best one, in that he would quietly slip away to do a 'patrol'.

As he anticipated, more PFA agents, wearing white bracelets and all, had arrived at Looker's location within minutes. Even more so, they had arrived with detector equipment and escorted by a legion of menacing Dusknoir and Doublade. Doublade! Looker had seen a few during his Kalos investigation and knew what they were capable of, in that they were deadly if engaged. How he could take on all of them was a different story, and he wasn't willing to make any risks.

"It's my theory that we have rogue Pokémon on the island," Looker lied. "See the multiple poison marks on his neck? That may have been the result of Tentacool, and I mean lots of Tentacool. I do recall many of them heading back out to sea, so it's no wonder he couldn't handle all of them at once."

One PFA agent, a medical expert from the looks of him, made a quick examination of the collapsed agent. "It's true. He is severely poisoned, but these are multiple jabs; not the sort you'd expect from a Tentacool."

Looker quickly replied, "But Tentacool are known for using stings as well. If they can do that, then you would expect these 'jabs' to resemble stings. Think about it."

The PFA agents had the area secured. Meanwhile, Looker looked back to the light-bathed foundry to see a lot more people hustling on the grounds. Patrols were more clustered and fast. They were growing, and they were everywhere. There was not a single place they would not have left unchecked. Except for maybe the spaces where Looker discarded the unconscious guards. However, he made sure that they were well hidden so that no one would notice.

For the time being, it was better to keep the chatter low. IP experience had taught him that. In addition, it was mandatory for Looker to keep his actions covert, such that the PFA shouldn't have noticed their guards missing. At this point, however, Looker made sure that they would never be found. The agent he had disposed onto the beach before him would serve as a distraction.

"So that they'd have been poisoned…" one PFA agent concluded.

The PFA agents went on searching the area and looked for anything that could be considered suspicious.

"We'll want the waters patrolled every hour," one PFA agent demanded. "Tell your boss to have patrols look out for any Pokémon lurking nearby, and set up radar if we must. We can't let anything jeopardise our operations."

"You do know radar can make us suspicious, right?" Looker pointed out. "We'd end up being trackable to basically anyone with the right technology."

"I'm assuming that you don't _know_ you have the best radar available, supplied by our leaders? I guess as a guard, you have no idea what's going on," the PFA snapped at him. "Anyway, get your commander to set up the appropriate measures."

Looker could have done that, but Emma's voice screamed in his earpiece. "_Get out of there, Looker! They're too many of them! Let's hope they don't notice the boat you used, or they'll destroy it!_"

He nodded to the PFA agent he was talking to, and he slipped away from the beach. Looker was not obligated to tell Heavy what to do, but he would become suspicious if he didn't follow orders. However, Looker had an idea.

So far, Looker had conducted very useful surveillance information but failed to find evidence of Fiera's involvement. Although he had successfully hacked into the security systems, he had failed to collect information that could serve as evidence for IP purposes. There was no information about Fiera that could be dug up, nor was there any links to the Pokémon Regional Union.

However… the black ore was an area of interest. He would have to discuss it further when he got back to the base.

"_When Mars gets back, I'll see that she gets her three-dimensional image put together, since we now have the benefit of a security system,_" Emma added.

Motivated by the prospect of getting a better layout of the foundry, and the precious knowledge of areas Looker had gained throughout his infiltration, he considered his options of getting out. Guards continued their patrols along the perimeters and exteriors. He knew exactly where to go, but to get there undetected was a different story.

There were plenty of high walls surrounding the foundry complete with searchlights, but they also had low walls. Looker had to find the right one that would lead him well away from the area and to where he had stored the boat he used. At his discretion, he discarded the guard clothes and considered throwing them into the ocean. If the PFA found it, they could conclude that either the guard who used it had drowned or had been attacked. Better not to risk suspicion, Looker folded the clothes with him, along with the radio, and took it to the gate he had entered from when he arrived.

That gave him an idea. Why not use the radio to spy on calls when it was analysed?

"_Hurry, agent Looker! You'll need to hurry before reinforcements scramble across the area! It's not looking good!_" Emma urged. "_Plus, I'll have to leave the systems for a little to avoid suspicion!_"

As quickly as he could, but also just as cautiously, Looker went for the walled exit and attempted to head back to the boat he had used earlier.

* * *

The camera disguised as an ornament was observing Eclipse, who was walking back to the room rather slowly. Emma could see this coming, so she went over to the door to personally open the locks and deactivate the motion sensors.

When she opened the door, a highly disoriented Mars walked in.

"You look terrible," Emma flatly said.

Mars didn't say anything, but walked over to the chair away from the window and collapsed on it, but not before removing her bag and tossing it aside, as well as attaching her e-Scope Lens to the sunglasses and placing it on the side table.

"I just need a break…" she muttered. She did not sleep but only kept her eyes on the ceiling. Emma on the other hand grimaced, and she went back to the computer. Looker still needed support getting out of the foundry.

Looking at the software components, Emma detected an incoming notification from the IP regarding equipment. Upon reading the message, Emma realised that the message was coded – which was typical of this IP department – and had to spend more time deciphering it.

"Our equipment specialist wants you to meet him in half an hour, as he's arrived at the Battle Frontier at his discretion," Emma interpreted. "There is an underground route known as the 'Artisan Cave' located behind the Record Hall near the Battle Tower. Bring your gadgets."

When she looked to see how Mars would react, Mars remained speechless and her expression of shock unchanged.

"If you're not feeling good, I'll go and meet him," Emma offered, though she wasn't feeling sorry for Mars. Her offer was more or less based from duty. To her surprise, though, Mars stood up to pack her bag, as well as equipping the e-Scope Lens.

"See to that Looker gets back here safely," Mars reminded, as she went out the door.

Emma blinked. Was Mars that intent on leaving? For one who had just been involved in a violent fight, Mars should have been exhausted, but she left like it was no concern to her. If Emma had more time, she would have accompanied Mars, but her business with Looker wouldn't wait.

The cameras and monitors showed that Looker was no longer in sight, but PFA agents were swarming the entire foundry from top to bottom and below. So far, there had been no massive alerts. Knowing Looker, he would have incapacitated much of the guards in the foundry, not to mention hiding them well. If they found out, then there would be massive problems.

Other surveillance cameras showed her that Mars was on her way out of the Trainers Village. Now dressed in her black trench coat, Mars straightened her tie and disappeared into the darkness. At this point, Emma would have to keep an eye on both Mars' and Looker's progress, but given Looker was now beyond the scope of the PFA foundry's security system, she focused on Mars.

It was past the 17th hour, and by then, the horizon had signalled the coming of dawn, and the skies began to illuminate a lighter tint of midnight blue. It wouldn't be long before sunrise.

But even if dawn seemed to signal a new day, in the case of the Battle Frontier, the day dragged on and on.

* * *

The evacuation was still underway with a considerable number of people and Pokémon still waiting in line to board the ferries. At this point the security forces had expanded their perimeter around the ferries that became regular patrol routes. IP agents remained on watch, but they stayed around to begin setting up a command post. The Battle Frontier was essentially dead, and all that remained were the administrators, some of the regular workers, the Frontier Brains, half the not evacuated civilians and the handful of security forces.

Eclipse found it a little heartbreaking to see the sight of the once-proud theme park that had become something post-apocalyptic. She could smell the smoke everywhere on her way to the Battle Tower, which was still cordoned off by warning tape and patrolled by two officers.

Of course, this meant that they grew a little suspicious when she passed them. Reaching into her bag, Eclipse put on the IP officer hat and presented her IP badge and ID at them. The patrol officers got the message and nodded.

In the black coat of hers, with the shoulder bag hanging off her left shoulder and falling to her right, Eclipse grimly glanced at the still smoking entrance of the Battle Tower. The tower was mostly in good shape, save for the destroyed lobby and the glass entrance which now appeared like a massive sinkhole. It became worse when she felt the warmth of sunlight touch her face, and it made the entire Frontier look a lot worse than it did in the dark.

It reminded Eclipse why she chose to join the International Police, but now that she was aware what sort of behaviour still rested within her, how could she still cope with being an agent? Those thoughts stuck with her as she walked in the Record Hall's direction.

_A cave behind the Record Hall, she said,_ Eclipse thought. The coming of day made the surroundings easier to see, and a few of the streetlights had been knocked out. The Record Hall itself was mostly undamaged, but the knocked out power made it as if it were dead. In some sense, with respect to the rest of the Frontier, it was dead. Some streetlights were flickering on and off, but most of them were just as dead as the Record Hall.

When she approached the Record Hall, there was yet another patrol of security officers walking around, with flashlights in hand, albeit off. Eclipse supposed that there was nothing left to chance now, even with an increased police presence. Upon being sighted, the patrol was alerted to see her, but relaxed upon seeing Eclipse's police hat. She tipped her hat and briefly presented her ID and badge to them before heading to the back of the building, and the officers nodded and went on their way. There was no need for exchanging words. She could not express how tired she was.

The cave on the higher ground could not have been visible were it not for the e-Scope Lens' night vision. It was a very steep climb, which she deduced the Frontier staff made the cave's location almost unknown to the public. How could the IP have known about it? She mentally slapped herself. The IP – specifically the intelligence unit which was backing her, Looker, and Emma – would know just about every land feature on the island from the Artisan Cave to the insides of every facility. Knowing the IP agents, they would probably investigate every facility and forward updates to IP intelligence.

After climbing the steep bank, Eclipse walked into the dark premises of the Artisan Cave. As expected, there was someone there, holding a lantern. This 'someone' was wearing a purple cloak and hood, and he was carrying a briefcase.

"Is that Eclipse I see?" he asked from the dark.

The voice was familiar…

"Atelier? Is that really you?" she asked back.

As soon as she said that, the space in front of her lit up as bright as day. A light in front shined in front of her, almost blinding her, but after a few seconds Eclipse's eyes adjusted to the light. Now, she was facing the cloaked figure, who removed his purple hood to reveal his face. The neat, steel-gray mop hair of Atelier was visible. From what Eclipse could see Atelier had created a mini laboratory within the cave.

"I had to be discreet, so I thought it –" he began.

"You know you could have just dropped by the Trainers Village," Eclipse interrupted. "You do realise that pretty much half the island has evacuated, right?"

Atelier blinked, and then scratched his head.

"I thought it'd be best to have this done where no one could see me," he chuckled. "Well, if you insist, let's talk about it on the way there. You lead."

Eclipse smiled. For the first time in a while, she was relieved to see someone. The people in the IP weren't exactly the friendliest type, save for Looker maybe, but Atelier had this warm personality that Eclipse liked. Perhaps he was the only one Eclipse could trust within the IP. Not to mention that it seemed pleasant to talk to Atelier again, in the absence of war here.

"So, what brings you here, Atelier?" she asked.

Atelier glanced at his briefcase before looking ahead to follow Eclipse. "It regards some upgrades I've got for you and Looker. By the way, how's Looker doing?"

Eclipse's expression fell a little. "He's… I hope he's alright."

After her fallen expression, Atelier got a better look at Eclipse.

"You look terrible," he commented, thus reminding Eclipse of her conversation with Emma not too long ago. "You know, maybe you ought to get some rest when we head to the base. Did something happen to you on the way?"

Eclipse preferred not to reply at first.

"You've looked better, the way I see it," she said.

* * *

It had taken a precious hour for Looker to leave the foundry unnoticed. At the point where he approached the moored boat he had hidden, he noticed there were more guards patrolling and monitoring the shores even away from the foundry. To avoid being detected, Looker had to cruise far enough from the shore before starting up the motor, but at least it seemed the PFA agents had bought into his story of Pokémon invading.

_Let's try avoiding the obvious here_, Looker thought. He slapped himself, once again owing this mindset to Eclipse. To get his mind of things a little, but not too much, he consulted his watch, which showed he had gotten out onto the waters by the 18th hour as expected. It had taken approximately four hours to travel to the foundry, including the time spent cruising to avoid detection, so Looker was expecting to arrive at the Frontier in the same time.

When he was well away from the dock, Looker started up the motor, used the built-in map and compass to direct the boat where he wanted to go, and began heading in the direction of the Battle Frontier.

He left one hand on the steering wheel and pulled out his phone, wired to his earpiece, and skimmed the programs for the right contact.

"Alright, Essentia, I'm on my way back," he said. "I'll be back in about four hours."

"_Good morning, Looker. Then that leaves us with two hours to spare_," Emma replied. "_Alright, sounds good! Oh, and… _(Emma's tone slowed)_ I hope you won't be surprised with what happened here. You didn't see the explosions, but the Battle Frontier looks totally unrecognisable now_."

Looker sighed. "I'll see what happens when I get there."

Being reminded of the occurred bombings, in his heart, sort of left Looker with a burden. They were supposed to have defended the Battle Frontier – the public! – but that didn't work out at all. From what reports he was getting from Emma, the damage was very severe.

"What about the public?" he asked, starting to dread the answer.

"_An evacuation order has been issued by the Frontier administration, alongside the Frontier Brains. In the time you were infiltrating the foundry, ferries were arriving ashore to shuttle the civilians away, along with HQ-approved IP escort_," Emma reported. "_As of now, a command post is being set up near the pier, and the entire island is now patrolled until it can be declared safe._"

Looker was silenced, and his discomfort was only slightly comforted by the sunlight which was starting to peak over the horizon. Wow. He couldn't believe his luck; that by the 18th hour he managed to leave the foundry right when the sun was up. If Looker had remained for even one more hour, the PFA would have noticed him leaving for sure, and not to mention compromising the point of infiltrating. Now, as he was well away from the foundry, he was comfortably on his way back to the Battle Frontier – or rather, what was left of it.

"Ensure that despite the IP knowing we are operating here, I think it'd be best if they didn't intrude on our base," Looker said. "This would reduce suspicion, ironically."

"_You got it_," Emma replied.

* * *

**Whew! That was a tough write. Imagine what must be going through Mars' head right now...**


	16. IPI: Eclipse

**With my focus being on 'Culinary Rivals' for much of my time, I apologise for not updated as much as I like to! But I assure that future chapters are already being set up. It's just a matter of balancing time with 'Culinary Rivals' and all that.**

**deviantpokemontrainerjay, I sure appreciate your Mars spy-story too!**

**LEGAL-EAGLE53, thanks for keeping up! Yes, Emma was a test subject. It's in-game!**

**Looker's1fan, long time no see! Yes, I'm glad you're keeping up with the story, though I wish it'd be faster. Hey, you should check out deviantpokemontrainerjay's fanfic too. I'm promoting it (without his permission).**

* * *

**_Chapter sixteen: IPI: Eclipse_**

The sun was shining upon the Battle Frontier, but it did little to provide comfort to the area. The International Police agents assigned to investigate the Battle Frontier, in association with Hoenn regional security forces, had completed setting up the reinforced command post – a makeshift building complete with reinforced armour, barriers, and surveillance systems – and established regular patrol routes. The regional security forces had deployed a number of tactical officers and an elite counter-terrorist team to patrol the grounds.

So that was what it came down to, with Hoenn counter-terrorists and tactical officers patrolling about in body armour, gear, and helmets. Every officer was equipped with a fireproof-alloyed ballistic shield for combat, and the shield itself had enough strength to withstand regular attacks. It might have appeared defensive, but the equipment was more than enough for their use, and was best used with teams.

As of now, the remaining ferries had left the Frontier for the mainland and were being escorted away by a fleet of police vessels. Only the Frontier Brains and the administrators remained to assist where needed, and at the command post where it was safe. There was a medical tent set up well within the post's premises and, as Emma had seen, the welcome office at the pier became the de facto rest area for the agents and officers.

Unfortunately, the ferries that had left had enough room to transport half the civilians on the Battle Frontier. With the other half still on the island, the police had to see that they were in a secure area, which meant they had to keep them near the command post where they could be watched. There weren't enough ferries readily available to transport all the civilians to begin with, so this was the result.

The head of security addressed the IP agents, "Patrols are constantly monitoring the streets, and I will also want the shores watched. We don't have a navy mobilised, so we'll have to work with what we have. On the plus side, there isn't anything out of the ordinary yet."

It had taken four hours to have every square foot secured by the preliminary security forces from the time they arrived. Empty buildings were raided by search teams to ensure they could be deemed safe, with the exception of those buildings that were determined safe by the Frontier Brains.

That didn't include the Trainers Village, though. When Emma realised that the rooms were going to be searched, she blacked out the room so that it would seem less suspicious to everyone else. However, the irony was that while the room was to be kept secret from the security forces, she could roam more freely around the island now as an active agent.

The point was that although the security forces had the island secured, their mandate was to evacuate the civilians only. Once that objective was complete they were required to leave only a fraction of officers on the island, alongside the IP command post which was to assume managerial control.

Remembering the International Police Code of Conduct and Looker's orders, Emma made a request to HQ.

"This is agent Essentia," she said. "Could you patch me to the IP frequency?"

The request was completed within moments. Afterwards, Emma made it clear to the operating team that the Trainers Village was secured and that it was better off not searched. It took some time for Emma to figure it out, but afterwards there was an agreement between Emma, the IP agents, and the head of security that the Trainers Village was to be left alone. After all, the Trainers Village was home to an IP base. Albeit the security forces were free to patrol in front of it.

On the other hand, this meant certain IP operations were still to be kept secret. The security forces had no business with IP operations so they were obligated to leave them alone, and in effect this meant Emma's presence was kept above suspicion. As well, Emma was under no pressure to black out the room now.

* * *

Still in his purple cloak and hood, Atelier followed Eclipse back to the Trainers Village. Eclipse still kept her head down as she removed her hat and placed it in her bag.

"Anything I can get you, Eclipse? You still seem pretty down," Atelier said. When Eclipse gave no response, Atelier could only grin instead. "Tell you what. I'll bring some upgrades to one of your gadgets. That'll cheer you up, I hope?"

Eclipse smiled a little.

She brought a hand to her e-Scope Lens to talk to Emma. "Hey, Emma, I'll be coming back pretty soon. Make sure the locks are open, please?"

"_About time_," Emma said. "_Don't forget that you promised Looker you'd have a three-dimensional layout set when he gets back. He will not be pleased to know that you're not accountable. If I were you, I would come back straight away and get things set up. I really don't get what's wrong with you, though. What happened?_"

It wasn't long until they had made it to the front doors of the Trainers Village. To be sure they weren't deemed suspicious, Eclipse had her badge and ID in hand to show the security officers who were stationed in front. They let her and Atelier in pretty soon, in which they were soon on the elevator to the floor where Emma was stationed.

"I have to admit, they did make this place pretty comfortable," Atelier commented. "Honestly, though, I'm surprised that whoever this PFA are, they weren't keen on attacking civilians."

"Or maybe because they knew that they'd be in huge trouble if they did," Eclipse said. "They'd be facing military action if that happened. Still, I think there's something more to this. You do know about the Regional Union?"

Atelier chuckled, which sort of lightened the mood. "You probably know, or don't know, that it is obvious that I hardly go out into the field, Eclipse. I don't know these things."

Obvious.

"There is nothing _obvious_ about that!" Eclipse shot back hotly. "You have to have heard about the Union at least! Sure, I don't know that you don't know, but now you know! You have some idea of knowing that we're out on the field, so that should be obvious enough!"

Atelier raised his eyebrows.

"Oh. Okay," he smirked.

Even that that small outburst from Eclipse which sort of lightened her mood, she immediately fell back to her depressed state. It wasn't before long that they had arrived at the front doors of the Trainers Village, where a security team was resting up in the lobby. Atelier thought it would be best if he wore his hood over his head again, and he did exactly that.

"I have business to conduct here," Eclipse told the team, whilst flashing her badge. "I'd much prefer it if I wasn't disturbed."

"Yes, ma'am," one officer answered, and as Eclipse and Atelier made their way to the elevator, the officer radioed the command post to notify the activities.

The elevator ride up was a silent trip, and there was nothing much to be said when the duo stepped out and approached the room where Eclipse was based. Now that there wasn't much need for security here, Eclipse took the liberty of withdrawing the ornament in the hallway that had served as a camera. Atelier, on the other hand, gave the room door – as directed by Eclipse – a firm knock.

To no surprise, it was Emma who had answered the door.

"Oh, I see you have arrived," she said.

Behind Atelier, Eclipse walked inside to drop off her bag and coat.

* * *

Emma found it disturbing that Mars was in the exact same state when she had left the room earlier. Atelier could notice this too, although he didn't bother asking why. Instead, he thought it could cheer Mars up by offering her some gadget upgrades.

"Where are your gadgets, Eclipse?" he asked.

Mars dully tossed her bag to him, with which Atelier caught instinctively. Silently, he opened the bag to take out the multiple gadgets he had given Mars in the first place. He looked up to her as if he had remembered something. "I'll need your e-Scope Lens, Eclipse."

Still exhausted, Mars detached the lens from her head and handed it over, and then fell straight asleep. Emma, ignoring Mars, went ahead to create the three-dimensional layout Looker had been constantly requesting to do, with some intelligence from the IP of course. There were still three-and-a-half hours before Looker could arrive, so it was best to use this time productively.

"In case if you're curious, Eclipse, I'm going to configure the e-Scope Lens Mark VI so they will sync directly with the sunglasses with immediate effect," Atelier explained. "This way, you'll be able to communicate without the need for an earpiece and all functions of the e-Scope Lens Mark VI will remain. Also, this will make things more efficient and effective, so you can wear the sunglasses the entire time if you have to."

She tried her best to sleep, but she had to peek open a tired eye to look at what Atelier had in his hands.

"That being said, it follows that the e-Scope Lens I gave you is a prototype, and now I'm further enhancing what it is to make it more effective. You can also adjust the brightness setting so they can appear as regular glasses or just simply shades. Depending on how you want to use it."

Meanwhile, Emma was managing the remaining completed details of the computerised layout of the foundry received from IP HQ. The data that was sent by Mars to IP Intelligence was processed thoroughly and transformed into information that they could use. Now, all Emma had to do was piece the layout together so it would be usable. As Looker had predicted he would arrive with two hours to spare before the 24th hour, which would leave sufficient time to plan out their next course of action. That logically meant that Looker was expected to arrive in three-and-a-half hours given the travel time.

The sunlight shined through the windows, effectively beaming down on Mars' body. Mars felt even more tired, in spite of the heat either trying to burn her up or comfort her.

"By the way, Eclipse," Atelier said, and tried to get her attention by shaking her. "HQ has provided me a message for you, and I'm a bit surprised why they didn't contact you using your communicator. I guess their message is effective when you open it. That is, effective immediately."

The message came in the most obvious, yet unsuspecting, manner. Mars almost smiled when Atelier produced a standard letter from his bag of tools and gadgets, sealed in a paper envelope with the word 'CLASSIFIED' and stamped in red as if it was a government file and not a message. Atelier, without much to say, handed over the letter to Mars.

They stayed silent for a moment, and eventually Atelier went back to tinkering with the gadgets. Mars blinked, and then she tore the envelope open to reveal a paper message inside. Barely _a day_ into the job, and Mars was receiving more stuff from HQ. With the paper in her hands, Mars looked to Atelier, who was dismantling the original e-Scope Lens Mark VI, and then to Emma, who was working away at the computer, before looking at the message.

_For the attention of agent Eclipse,_

_The HQ Office of the International Police (i.e. headquarters) would like to inform you that you that you are a recipient of merit, in recognition of your attempts to arrest a suspect in the Battle Frontier, Hoenn; in spite of the fact that you have only been an International Police agent for not long. In light of your attempts to capture the suspect, who will not be named, at the risk of your own life, and also saving the life of another IP agent, you have been merited. Greater merit, however, is awarded in light of your discovery of the connection between the Pure Freedom Alliance and the organization known as Fiera. For this reason, the HQ Office has evaluated your performances and has transferred your status to a separate IP department, namely International Police Intelligence, or IPI. Effective immediately._

_The Office of the IPI sends their regards, and wants to remind you that as an IPI agent, your goal is to gather information at your own discretion, in the absence of other IP agents. Any information gathered out in the field that may impact International Police objectives is, during active duty, immediately reported to the Office of the IPI (including surveillance, reconnaissance, espionage, etc.) including supervisors, whereas the IP will decide what appropriate action to take. Otherwise, reporting during inactive duty is encouraged. You have clearance to IPI databases during your investigations, which you may share with your active field agents when appropriate._

_In light of your recent reconnaissance outings, the HQ Office feels that this transfer is most appropriate at this time. Your orders, however, remain unchanged in that you continue to gather intelligence on a suspicious island near the Battle Frontier, Hoenn, albeit with the status of IPI. An additional objective is you are to report any intelligence gathered directly to either the IPI supervisors, or IP HQ. Looker will continue to be your immediate superior for this mission, as well as your supervisor._

_Regards,_

_The Headquarters Office of the International Police_

**_Note:_**_ **this information is classified material and will SELF-DESTRUCT two minutes after the envelope bearing this message was opened.**_

After reading that bottom sentence, Mars was surprising to hear something of a sizzling sound coming from the letter; only to have that surprise turn into astonishment when the middle of the letter burst into flames. Surprised and upon instinct, Mars shook the burning letter off her hands, and by the time the letter had hit the floor, it was nothing but ashes.

"Well, what is it now?" Emma asked.

"It's… nothing much."

"None of my business, I guess," Emma muttered.

The smell of smoke alerted Emma for a brief moment, but she turned her head back to work when she saw Mars looking at the ashes on the floor. No doubt did the IP send a self-destructing message. Delivered in paper, of course, so it was much easier to destroy after being read.

Mars felt overwhelmed. All she did was carrying out some tasks, which included hanging onto an elevator or fight off some people, and now her bosses transferred her to an intelligence unit. What did she get herself into? She could have walked out, but now…

"Let me guess. HQ has given you some special status?" Emma asked, although it seemed more like a statement than anything else.

"None of your business," Mars quietly snapped.

At first Emma shook her head, and then she continued working. She could tell Mars was in a bad mood, as if nothing had changed from the time she came into the room. Speaking of which, the room was silent, with the exception of Atelier still taking apart Mars' gadgets and replacing parts with new ones. Mars alone was in a state of anger and exhaustion; angry at herself for what had happened in the field, and exhausted from doing field work.

"Okay, Eclipse. I'm almost done," Atelier said. "By the way: delivering a message and supplying you with upgrades isn't the only reason I'm here. May I see your ID?"

He put down the e-Scope Lens to gesture Mars into giving him her badge and ID. Upon doing so, Atelier produced something of a scanner, with which he used on the card to replace certain parts, as well as performing something of a laser print onto the card. After that, he handed the card back to Mars along with the badge.

"HQ gave me pretty stern orders to ensure your status is elevated," he said. "By the way, Essentia, you'll want to know that Eclipse here has been transferred to the IPI."

Speaking of which, as Atelier and Emma talked, Mars took her items back to see what exactly had changed. More or less, the main difference was that the International Police logo was no longer there. In its place was a new logo – a black-and-gold Poké Ball crest eclipsing a blue-and-white globe halfway, with the single word "IPI" extending from one end of the Poké Ball to the other end of the globe – printed and burned in black-and-gold colour as if it were an award and not a status.

"You know, you could have said so earlier," Emma said, whilst shaking her head in shame.

Mars held her breath, trying not to answer. In the end, she put her ID card back in her bag as Atelier went on dealing with the e-Scope Lens. At this point, it appeared the former e-Scope Lens was completely disassembled, and that the components were re-installed onto the sunglasses attachment, of which they were built into the frame.

She was impressed at how quickly the gadget master could put everything back together. It was more than halfway completed, from the looks of it.

"You'll be able to wear this on or off as usual," Atelier explained. "The radio will be built into the frame to you'll be able to talk into it as normal. On the other hand, the volume and frequency of the receiver is such that you can only hear it _if_ it's right next to your ears. That way, it'll be quite difficult for someone to notice you."

The sunglasses looked unchanged. However, knowing there would be parts installed into it, Mars assumed it would probably be heavier to wear.

"Won't it fall off?" she said.

"Heh, I know what you're thinking," Atelier replied, whilst tapping his head. "Don't worry. There should be more than enough grip for it to stay on your head. Be it in the midst of a violently blowing Whirlwind or maybe crashing against the force of an Earthquake or a Hydro Pump. However, placing yourself in such a position is not advised."

Mars watched the installation continue.

"Just do me a favour, Eclipse," Atelier added. "Return it back in one piece."

_It definitely looks more efficient that what Team Galactic would make_, she thought.

Atelier seemed to have noticed Mars' curiosity, which prompted him to say, "Ah, your eyes have brightened! Does this strike you in any way?"

Mars blinked, as if she was genuinely interested in the gadget. Yet, her exhaustion caught up to her, and Mars fell asleep again. In her memories, she recalled how much more effective this gadget was as opposed to her former Team Galactic equipment. It just seemed so much more… efficient.

* * *

22 hours since the investigation began, the boat Looker was using neared the Battle Frontier.

Even from this distance, however, Looker could see smoke in the horizon.

His reaction deteriorated into a grimace as he got closer. With the sunlight lightening up the skies, he could see the Battle Tower was up in smoke. Although there was no fire, a black cloud had shrouded the building. There was smoke rising from other areas too.

Upon reaching the pier ten minutes later, he was stopped by a team of three officers in paramilitary equipment. A security forces patrol. Immediately, Looker presented them his IP badge, and the three men gave Looker clearance to pass. Subsequently, he hooked up the boat to pier 8. The attendant was no longer there, and the office was shut down altogether.

After getting out, Looker took a few minutes to familiarise himself with the circumstances. Clearly, the Battle Frontier he was seeing was much different than the one he had seen when he left the Frontier around 14 hours ago.

_A command post over there, patrols over there,_ he thought, _and the Battle Factory._

There were two ferries still waiting to evacuate civilians from the island. At this point, Looker could tell there really wasn't much more to evacuate. One ferry had already signalled departure and closed its gates. With a blow of a horn, the ferry began moving in the direction of Slateport City.

He put his hands in his pockets only to silently bypass the command post. Barriers were set up around it with plenty of lights and guards surrounding the post. Given it was broad daylight now, there was no need for lights. Eventually, after an afterthought, Looker dropped by the post, where he found the CO inside.

"Good morning, agent," Looker greeted.

"If only it was that good," the CO said back. "Can I help you with anything, agent Looker?"

"Oh, just for some information," Looker said. "What's the situation as of now?"

It took not too long for the CO to reply, but he had to look over a file nevertheless. "The mandate is that the security forces are to evacuate the civilians only, of which we have two ferries to wait on. Unfortunately for us, this means that the bulk of security will be leaving to escort the ferries back to the mainland. IP and a fresh IPI agent will remain here to secure what's left of the Frontier. With the Brains, of course."

"IPI officer…?" Looker could only say this quietly. "I wasn't aware IPI had an agent here."

"I only just got the message half an hour ago," the CO said. "Trust me. I was surprised too."

Looker could have asked for more information, but he decided it was better to return to base after all that had happened. Given he had two hours to spare before the second quarter of the timeframe began, he ought to use it to rest up and plan ahead.

Soon, he was on his way back to the Trainers Village.

* * *

Mars still wasn't in good shape and she used whatever time she had to get more rest. Emma was busy at the computer gathering information (which was ironic, as that should have been Mars' job). Eventually, after sleeping for the next hour-and-a-half, Mars did take over Emma's position, and Emma took the time to rest up as well.

"Let me ask you this, Mars," Emma said. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Atelier looked up from his work, with his face curious.

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Mars replied, though her voice was caught between anger and annoyance. "If you really want to know, we can talk about that later!"

Emma drew a flat smile and closed her eyes. Atelier returned to work on the e-Scope Lens, meanwhile. Mars hung her head for a bit, closing her eyes as well, but she continued to work on the computerised layout of the foundry. With the help of the foundry security system and Looker's multiple pictures, Mars had been able to almost produce a full layout from Emma's work. However, there were certain areas in the image that neither the security system nor Looker's pictures could decipher. These areas had to be labelled unknown for the time being.

Eventually, Mars requested access to some of the IP Intelligence databases to draw up inferences about the rooms. Details could be predicted such as the size of the rooms or whatever possible functions it could have.

There was one detail in particular that struck Mars as odd. Of all the areas in the plant that they could gather information on, there were no areas where they could locate evidence of bombs the PFA used. Although the foundry was suspected of being a bomb manufacturing plant, they couldn't find any trace of bombs.

Subsequently, Mars labelled the blank unknown areas on the image as potential targets.

Between Mars and Emma, they were no good without directives, and it was a good thing when Looker finally showed up at the door.

"Open up," he said as he knocked on the door.

Neither Mars nor Emma wanted to answer the door though, so Atelier took the liberty to answer it. He got up, opened the door, and let Looker into the room.

The first thing Atelier did upon seeing Looker for the first time in many, many, hours was to start a conversation. "I've been told that you have roughly two hours before you begin the next quarter of your operation. Well, at least you've made it here."

However, Looker wore a slightly surprised expression.

"How –? What are you doing here?" Looker asked.

For a moment, Looker peeked over to see Mars working on the laptop, and Emma sleeping on the bed. The two girls appeared to not register his presence, so Atelier took the time to take Looker aside quietly.

* * *

"Well, if you haven't been told, HQ has transferred Eclipse to the intelligence office. You know, IPI," Atelier explained. "HQ ordered me to send their letter to Eclipse of this notification, as well as officially approve her status, and I thought I'd take the time to upgrade Eclipse's gadgets too. But that's another story."

Both Looker and Atelier looked at the girls and their exhausted state for a moment. Atelier then continued, in a quieter voice, "_However, I'm not sure if these two could work well together. While you were gone, it seemed they… don't have a degree of cooperation_."

Looker grimaced.

"They must be tired," he said. "We'll give them the hour to rest up. But I'm sure you're not going to stay here for long either, eh, Atelier? You can stay for the briefing until the 24th hour."

"The pleasure is mine, agent Looker," Atelier replied. "I've got two hours to upgrade their equipment, and I'll be off."

Atelier then left Looker alone to keep on tinkering with Mars' gadgets. Looker, though wanting to conduct a debriefing at the moment, decided to leave Mars and Emma alone for now. Emma, though about the same age as Mars at around 16 albeit younger, needed her rest too. In spite of her Expansion Suit, she still had limits on her mental strength.

_So Eclipse has made a transfer over to the IPI, eh?_ Looker thought. _I suppose that might come in handy in the future…_

It sort of felt strange for him to know that Mars had been received the merit of becoming an agent for the IP Intelligence. True, Mars did prove useful as an informant, and now she was given expanded powers for doing exactly that. In his opinion, employing Mars was the right decision, but he did have to take Atelier's comments as a cause for concern.

As such, Atelier seemed to be halfway through piecing Mars' gadget together.

* * *

**What do you think? Mars has been promoted to the intelligence services...**

**Review if you like this story! Let alone this chapter. If you DON'T like the story, well... that's hard to say. It's a good story!**


	17. Extracting Power

**An apology to deviantpokemonrangerjay and LEGAL-EAGLE53 for the delay! Would you believe I've been working on other stories and that I only have so much time before I get even MORE busy come the fall? It's been two months since I've updated 'Eclipse'!**

**I do fear this story will become less humorous as time goes on. I have to find a way to do it...**

* * *

_**Chapter seventeen: Extracting Power**_

The 29th hour was upon her.

It happened when she had cautiously approached the shores of the isolated island.

Against Emma's protests, Looker had dispatched Eclipse to investigate the foundry. Apart from her own concerns, Emma really wanted to investigate the area herself. But Looker made a point that Eclipse had more effective information powers with the backing of the International Police Intelligence.

After debriefing, Looker had made his instructions clear. Find any evidence of bomb manufacturing the foundry may have, locate the empty areas undiscovered from earlier to gain full knowledge of the area, and if possible locate any information of Fiera's involvement. In debrief, Eclipse had raised the problem that by knocking out several guards, and the security operator, they might have increased their suspicion already. So, Looker made it a side priority that the security room be secured.

Like Looker, Eclipse opted to use a speedboat for travelling to the foundry as a means to avoid further suspicion. The trip had taken four hours, and Eclipse was allotted 15 hours, including travel time, to operate. By the 40th hour, Looker had intended for Eclipse to exchange with either him or Emma so she could leave at that exact time. At the 40th hour, exactly an hour before dawn, Eclipse would have used the entire night and could leave the foundry.

Again, four hours had passed since Eclipse went out into the field. In her opinion, she wished there was a faster boat, because cutting four hours into her allotted fifteen was a huge chunk of time lost. So, Eclipse would have to make the most of it.

Atelier, the gadget master, had taken the further liberty of completing the upgrades needed for Eclipse's e-Scope Lens. Now, he claimed, the equipment was built completely into the frame of the sunglasses, so that its functions could be hidden, and the lenses themselves could change from shades to clear at will. In addition, biosecurity functions ensured that only Eclipse, Looker, and Emma (that is, Essentia) could use it.

Better yet, the radio with which Looker had stolen allowed the IPI to make use of its frequencies in order to synthesise a listening frequency for the IP to use. However, it could only be used within vicinity of transmission. To keep the chatter low, Looker gave the radio to Eclipse to make sure she still blended in. Even though she could listen just fine with her e-Scope Lens.

So now four hours had passed, and Eclipse was well on her way to mooring the speedboat, and being extremely cautious of any patrol guards. Unfortunately for Eclipse, she didn't have the benefit of the dark of night to conceal her actions, so she would have to secure the boat somewhere safe.

"If you really are going to come here in eleven hours," Eclipse mumbled quietly, "I suggest you rent another boat."

"_We know, we know_," Emma replied, somewhat annoyed.

With her upgraded e-Scope Lens, Eclipse scanned the area for anyone who might be nearby. The lenses allowed her to scan the area for almost every major detail she was seeing at will. From what she saw, the coast was clear for now.

It was Looker who spoke next. "_The layout with which you and IPI have worked on will be uploaded to your lenses. It's not much, but the IPI have simulated a map for you to use while you're out there._"

Out of the corner of her eye, Eclipse saw a minimap pop up, which showed from a top-down view her location on the island. She was near the shore, and the foundry was still a ways away.

"_However,_" Looker continued, just as Eclipse was on her way to the fortress, "_details are exempt. This won't display where guards and searchlights may be. It will be up to your judgement to avoid them. Of course, you must avoid them._"

In broad daylight, she straightened her black trench coat and her tie once more, with a few tugs. It wasn't cold at all, and it probably would have been the opposite in the typical heat of Hoenn. To reduce suspicion, Eclipse decided to store the boat.

"Purugly," she muttered, throwing her Poké Ball, "let's get the boat clear."

Together, Eclipse and Purugly pulled the boat onto the shore. There were not many areas to hide a boat of this size, so they had to make do with sheltering it near some rocks by the shore. If there was a wave or something, maybe the boat wouldn't be swept away. That reminded Eclipse…

"Er…" she muttered, tapping on her upgraded e-Scope Lens. "Calling HQ. What's the marine broadcast for the next fifteen hours here?"

"_Give us a few minutes, agent_," the operator replied.

While waiting, Eclipse thought it would make better sense if the boat were simply hidden on higher ground. There were plenty of rocks at the higher ground, so she had Purugly help her bring it to the outcroppings, where the rocks provided plenty of cover. Afterwards, Eclipse recalled Purugly, and then she began to travel to the foundry.

_It sure is hot today_, Eclipse thought. It made sense, though, since she _was_ wearing a black trench coat, of all colours. She would have preferred to have left it in the boat but then again, if her boat ended up being discovered by PFA agents, she wouldn't want them to know who the coat belonged to.

She slung her shoulder bag strap on one shoulder with the bag hanging on the other side. Eclipse, also recalled Purugly back into her Poké Ball for the time being. Infiltration had to be kept quiet, and given she didn't know the area that well, Eclipse took the time to familiarise herself.

At least she had the backing of information from Looker and the IPI to support her. That way, as she made her way to the barriers of the foundry, she could expect at least some things.

"_Here's the marine broadcast, Eclipse_," the operator said to Eclipse. "_The report expects low tide for the next three hours, and will rise after that and peak at six hours before stemming to low tide after. You should be fortunate that the tide is at a relatively stable rate right now._"

Great. Eclipse thought. That would mean she would have to haul the boat back to shore again when her hours were up.

There were other things to consider as well. Eclipse knew that Looker had incapacitated the guards, but she had no idea how long they would be knocked out for. It would only be a matter of time before the PFA ended up discovering their missing people.

She ended up switching her channel to talk with Looker.

"Looker," she muttered. "In light of what you've done to the guards, how exactly are we going to take care of them? They will find where they are, sooner or later."

"_Don't worry about that_," Looker replied. "_Just use the clothes to blend in with the PFA. The last person they'll suspect would be one of their own. It's all in the box._"

Spy work at its finest. Eclipse, after putting her Poké Ball back into her bag, looked into the container Looker had given her prior to leaving the Battle Frontier. Inside it was a full-out security guard's outfit, complete with a helmet. In Eclipse's opinion, wearing this overtop of her coat would be more than enough to make her sweat. Still, it had to be done, so Eclipse reluctantly put the gear on.

By the time she put on the helmet, Eclipse was already sweating.

"Right, so let's see what to expect…" she muttered.

* * *

It had taken a while to walk to the foundry, but thanks to Atelier's upgraded e-Scope Lens, which was in the form of sunglasses, Eclipse found it surprisingly easy to see whatever guards were nearby. It also helped that it was very sunny, so she could reduce suspicion as to why she was wearing sunglasses at all.

That being said, it was equally harder to make her actions less suspicious in daylight.

"_First things first. Here's what I want you to do_," Emma said.

"Whatever," Eclipse muttered. "I'm listening."

"_Sooner or later, someone's going to find out that their security operator is MIA, because he's still knocked out. We will need to take care of him to ensure the operation isn't compromised,_" Emma instructed. "_And please, don't act so recklessly this time._"

"You probably could tell that wasn't on purpose," Eclipse retaliated, and then she desisted in order to continue infiltrating the area. Carrying a bag around seemed suspicious to the PFA already, so Eclipse ensured that she acted 'normal'.

She walked close to the foundry exterior, and hoped there was an opening.

However, by the time she could even _slip_ into the perimeter, she was discovered already.

"Hey you!" one guard shouted at her. "Where have you been?!"

Realising that there might not be any females in the area at all, Eclipse instinctively tried to impersonate her voice to make it sound lower. "I've just been out on patrol, sir."

"Then you didn't get the message, did you?" the guard said demandingly, as if his eyes were trying to pierce through Eclipse's sunglasses. He cautiously scanned the area left and right. "There is a general meeting called at the weapons depot. The boss wants everyone there."

_There goes my hopes of a quick reconnaissance_, Eclipse thought. In spite of the eleven hours she was given, things had gotten complicated already. Quietly, without saying much, she followed this guard to where this depot was. At the very least, she would be able to sneak into the area above suspicion and, more importantly, relay information about this depot to Looker and the IPI.

Even so, as Eclipse followed the guard to the depot, whilst bypassing many more guards, she would have to let Looker know about her position. Although they could check her status through the security system itself, direct communication was a little more assuring.

Going deeper into the foundry grounds, Eclipse took note of the exterior door that led deeper into the foundry, where Looker had somehow bypassed earlier in order to infiltrate the area. The foundry itself wasn't active, but it was the most likely area where the bombs were being manufactured. It was a shame that the security system didn't reveal that. Speaking of which, Eclipse still needed a way to get through those doors unnoticed.

But eventually, she had to enter the weapons depot, which was a steel box located underground. That being said, Eclipse followed a number of similarly dressed guards onto a platform, where the unnerving sound of a motor powered the ground under their feet further below.

There was no trace of sunlight here, so Eclipse, at her discretion, cautiously removed her e-Scope Lens and placed it in her bag. What she did fear was if someone would steal her bag, but she supposed that everyone was in too much of a hurry to notice. She looked left and right, and only to see the many blank faces on the guards. Truth be told, anyone would think she was only taking off her sunglasses, since they were well away from the sunlight. Atelier did mention that the radio was built into the gadget, but Eclipse insisted that she keep the earpiece, just in case.

So, in the end, Eclipse could still hear Looker and Emma well.

The platform grinded to a halt, as everyone including Eclipse stepped out in a disorderly fashion to what appeared to be an assembly of many more guards. As well, as she walked, Eclipse took note of several weapons in this 'depot' which included little more than batons and flame bombs. However, she had yet to see any trace of bomb manufacturing.

They all met at a clear area which looked like a war zone. From the looks of the ground, Eclipse deduced there must have been some sort of weapons testing going on. At the front, a particularly built guard, wearing a combat vest and body armour, waved to get everyone's attention, and everyone settled down.

Eclipse recognised him at once. This was the guard Looker had codenamed 'Heavy'.

"I am calling this meeting because as you may not be aware, the extraction process will commence soon, so this is just a reminder of how secure we must be," Heavy said. "In addition to you all, we are missing a number of patrol guards, but as one of us reported, this may be due to wild Pokémon. More PFA agents have reinforced us, but I fear we are letting our guard down. It is fortunate that there have been no incidents since we started patrolling in groups of four. The most important note is one of the executives will be arriving in half an hour to personally see the extraction, so I want everything in top form. I've received a report back from a patrol and they say they haven't found the missing patrol."

_If this 'executive' is a part of Fiera_, Eclipse thought, _then the PFA would be might as well separate. Sheesh, and I thought Fiera were less an agent. At least I got here on a boat. That's enough! The guards are separate at least._

Unfortunately, Eclipse knew in her heart that this was insufficient evidence to conclude that Fiera were involved in this directly. Sure, the PFA was a subsidiary, but there was nothing that told Eclipse that Fiera were responsible. She needed more time. This executive could be Fiera affiliated or simply a PFA leader. Knowing Looker, he would hope it was a Fiera agent.

"However, we have received unconfirmed reports that five PFA agents have been arrested by International Police at the Battle Frontier," Heavy reported. "They were taken down by a single agent, the report says, but this is unconfirmed. Also, we cannot operate on the Battle Frontier anymore."

Someone interrupted, "For what reason?" It wasn't a question.

Heavy ended up kicking that guard in the stomach, and he collapsed. "I am getting to that, and for your own sake, do not ask anything. Anyway, the International Police have set up base and Hoenn counter-terrorists have locked down the island. The executive isn't authorising an attack, as that would defeat the purpose of their operation."

_Their operation_, Eclipse thought.

"We are to increase security around the area where the extraction is commencing. I don't know who will do it, but the executive is supervising this phase," Heavy said. "Resume regular patrols. The executive says the PFA will be receiving improved technologies to aid the development of our weapons, and we are to guard as usual."

Heavy looked at Eclipse's eyes briefly, and looked elsewhere. Eclipse didn't dare try to show any emotion, as she knew well enough in Team Galactic that to catch the attention of anyone would cause her to be suspicious. And if she were under suspicion in a place like this, she would be killed. Thankfully, Team Galactic had trained her well to disguise her emotions.

However, in her heart, Eclipse wished she didn't have to do that. Gosh, was she turning back into what she was? She hoped not.

Heavy was then approached by someone, a PFA agent (as shown by the white bracelet), who whispered something into his ear. He showed little emotion, but only nodded.

"It appears that our security systems operator has not been responding for a long time," he announced. "Some of us have more PFA agents to back us, but we as guards are to take the lead. For now, I want one patrol to investigate this. Resume everything else as normal."

Heavy added, "The extraction will occur in two hours. Now although we haven't seen anything too suspicious yet, we better take precautions."

Eclipse turned around to follow the guards to the platform elevator again. However, she suspected that if this was a weapons depot, there was a higher probability that she would find the bombs here as well. She would have to investigate further at some point.

* * *

Eclipse knew she didn't have ample time when she resurfaced from the depot and back into the bright Hoenn sunshine. She put her e-Scope Lens back on, quietly walked aside where no one could see her (thankfully the security system was still under control), and notified Looker.

"Okay, Looker," Eclipse said. "I've got more intel. You might want to pass this to the IPI."

"_We understand, Eclipse. We're receiving your details now_," Looker replied. "_A – a weapons depot, huh? So, it seems we have found the source of their bombing cache at last_."

"That's pretty obvious, isn't it? But you never know," Eclipse replied. "Wait, are you drinking coffee again, Looker?"

"_How did you know?_" Looker asked, although this was followed by the unmistakable sound of the slurping of a drink. "_Well, that's another story. Is there anything else you can tell us?_"

She looked left and right, briefly, before muttering, "That black ore you mentioned… it seems like they're ready to take it apart. Didn't you say there's a laser drill beside it? If it's okay, I'll go take a look. Oh, and I've just been told they're going to investigate the security room. You know, the one with the surveillance mainframe."

The sound of the sputtering of coffee deafened Eclipse's ears.

"_Make that a priority_," Looker's voice became urgent. "_If they find out that's what happened, we may be compromised. The ore can wait. For now, you need to get into the foundry now! The bomb manufacturing will have to wait also!_"

Eclipse looked up. The foundry's front entrance was still heavily secured, and from what Looker said earlier, the only clue they had to get past it was Heavy's identification card. There was no way Eclipse could get in in her current state.

"_You will need to get into the foundry to locate that room_," Looker instructed. "_You will also find the ore in there too, so you must secure that room first before investigating the ore. The last thing we want is to raise the alarm. Here, we'll supply you with a layout to know what to expect, and we'll guide you there._"

She looked carefully, and calculated that the only possible way to get into the foundry without suspicion was to follow the party of four that was actually heading into the foundry. If that was the case, then one of them _must_ carry authorisation to get past the doors.

Eclipse had a plan. A sneaky one, come to that. All she needed was a certain Great Ball and a bit of luck to get the job done.

* * *

The four guards failed to notice Eclipse at first when she showed up from behind. She was sporting sunglasses and a bag.

"I've been told by the boss to join you," she said in her impersonated deep voice.

"We have not received word about this," one guard said, suspiciously.

Eclipse glared at the guard, and the guard could tell, even if she was wearing sunglasses.

"Try me," she said in a tone suggesting that a fight would be the last option anyone would want.

As she expected, the four guards motioned her to follow them past the doors. The doors automatically parted to allow access into the foundry, and Eclipse found herself facing an unfamiliar hallway. It was unfamiliar, but not surprising, as she had been supplied with some intelligence from Looker about the area.

Not to mention the photos Looker took with his notepad proved useful here. Eclipse could foresee the area up ahead.

Information provided to Eclipse dictated that the ore was, according to Looker, sighted in the main manufacturing area of the defunct oil refinery. Looker was able to see the ore from higher ground, but in Eclipse's opinion it would be more useful to see it up close. It would also reduce suspicion in the sense that she wasn't simply watching.

There was nothing ahead but armoured wall and polished corridor. Closed-circuit cameras were affixed on every corner of the corridor walls, the same ones that connected to the surveillance system she and Looker took over. That also reminded Eclipse of what her objective was and her plan, and she had to act fast.

_Six hours. That was what Atelier said_, she thought.

She kept her profile low at the back, and as she followed the group, she became aware of the upcoming blast doors that led to the more secure area of the foundry. On the way, as she walked upstairs to the higher level, she bypassed the windows that provided a view of the largest area of the foundry. As expected, given what Looker reported, the massive black ore was positioned there.

Surrounding the ore, however, was a number of people who appeared to be working around the ore. The ore had multiple spotlights centered on it like a showcase. What did stick out and made Eclipse slightly uncomfortable was the monstrous laser drill that was inevitably there to perform the drilling.

"_Extraction will begin in… two hours_." A voiceover could be heard coming from the area. "_All personnel, take appropriate positions before commencing._"

If she was going to observe this, she had better make it quick.

It had taken a while for Eclipse to follow the group further in. With the minimap supplied via her e-Scope Lens, she was able to determine the location of the security office, which was past the heavily guarded and reinforced blast doors. They automatically parted via the use of authentication, and as she walked through, she was aware of the limited number of cameras in this area.

"_You're getting very close_," said Looker's voice. "_Just be aware that the PFA leader is actually in this area, so I would keep the chatter low, or you will have to… incapacitate him._"

Eclipse didn't dare say a word at this moment in time. Instead, she focused on following the group. The room that controlled the security systems was not far, about a city block's length, and if Eclipse wanted to make this quick, she was going to have to act quickly.

Before long, they all gathered in front of the door. However, Eclipse snuck off to the side so that she was watching them from the corner. It was like the guards hadn't noticed her at all.

She heard the knocking on that door.

"Open up," one of the guards said.

Ensuring that the coast was crystal clear, and that there was no one nearby (Eclipse could infer that no one was close enough to see what was going on), Eclipse reached into her bag to pull out the blue Great Ball.

"We will need to force the door," another of the guards said.

"Good thinking."

"But how do we know the door isn't locked?"

"We don't, and hey, the door isn't locked."

Eclipse literally had no time to spare. Peeking from the corner, Eclipse armed the Great Ball and rolled it on the floor. After she had done that, she hid behind the corner again.

"Wait, a Poké Ball?"

"What?"

"How can you t–?"

POOF

The explosion was muffled. As muted as the sound was, it was at best comparable to a smoke grenade, and indeed that was exactly what it was. Shortly after, Eclipse could hear the sound of four felled bodies hitting the floor. This was the crucial moment.

That is, Eclipse had to move fast to get the guards out of sight before anyone else noticed them there. However, that was not possible yet as she had to wait for most of the smoke to dissipate, in an effort to reduce the effects of the knockout gas on her. She didn't have much time, but it would do her no good to get herself knocked out, nor was it any good if she was discovered.

After a few precious minutes, Eclipse quickly moved in. She opened the door leading into the surveillance room, and found the operator unconscious on the floor too. Taking note of this, she dragged the other bodies into the room as well, and when that was over with, she closed the door.

"Okay, I'm in," she said.

"_And so you have,_" Emma answered. "_Okay, so now that you have the room secured, I trust you'll have an idea to get yourself out of this._"

"What do you mean?" Eclipse replied, suspicious.

"_What I mean is you probably have the instincts to create a pretext here,_" Emma said. "_It's nothing personal. Just figure it out._"

The room was now secure. Briefly, Eclipse checked how much time she had left to investigate before she had to meet up at the beachhead. Judging by the lighting she saw on the computer screens, Eclipse deduced that it was getting very close to sunset, which meant she was entering the night shift.

With the radio in hand, she contacted Heavy.

"Hello, leader, this is patrol," she said, but in a deep voice.

"_Report_."

"The operator has reported that the security mainframe will need maintenance," she said, hoping that Heavy would buy the story. "He will be too busy to take in notices until the systems are back online, and he would just prefer it if he wasn't disturbed."

"_Tell him to have the systems back within the hour_," Heavy replied. "_The executive doesn't want any loose ends at this point._"

After that, Eclipse breathed a sigh of relief. No, she wasn't relieved about anything, but only that she could catch her breath. First, she needed to deal with the unconscious guards. If they were going to catch wind of their circumstances, they would almost certainly raise the alarm. So Eclipse ensured they were all stowed underneath the desk, with their hands tied with their legs. With makeshift blindfolds, they were covered as well, and she ensured their mouths were gagged.

"I'm going to set a device to permanently disable their security systems," she added. "In case we won't need the system anymore."

She took the cell phone from her bag and placed it on the desk. Atelier told her that in order for it to work the signal would have to be triggered from the laptop she was carrying in her bag. Indeed, Eclipse had almost forgotten about the laptop until now.

After that was over with, and she had her things packed up, the room secure, and taking the authentication needed to bypass the blast doors, Eclipse scanned the screens in front of her for a sense of direction. The 'extraction' was going to occur in two hours, and if she was going to make her actions anything but suspicious, she was going to need those two hours. Time was a luxury now, unfortunately.

* * *

"The sun will be coming down," Looker warned Eclipse from the base. "In only a matter of hours you will be able to slip into the dark again."

"_I know, I know_," Eclipse replied impatiently. She knew she had about nine hours left before her shift was done. By the 32nd hour, it would be dusk, which was an hour before this extraction would occur.

She didn't know how she did it, but Eclipse had managed to bypass the secure entrance that led out of the deeper section of the foundry. Once more she was on the higher ground that had a view of the black ore, except there were a _lot_ more people surrounding the area than before. If she could, Eclipse would have wanted to watch from above, but not only would that provide little information on the details below, but she would raise suspicion for being a lone guard.

She moved quickly down the stairs in an effort to get to the main area below.

"_Extraction will occur very soon. The charging amount to 174 has been initiated_."

The images that were supplied to her by Looker dictated the approximate layout of the area, and thanks to access to the security system, Looker was able to guide her to the right locations. It wasn't that hard, as all Eclipse needed to do was find the appropriate doors that led into the area. However, they still needed clearance.

Furthermore, they weren't even blast doors, which made it even easier to slip in. Still, in an effort to reduce suspicion, she discarded the outfit and hid most of the clothes in her bag. The problem was that she had no idea whether guards would be present in the main area. If she was found wearing guards' clothing in an area where guards might not have access to, that would be suspicious enough already.

Now in her IP clothes, she carefully snuck into the area. In IP wear, being her white dress shirt under a black trench coat and a red-and-black tie, she was less prone to be detected. It was nighttime, so the blackness of her clothes gave her the benefit of stealth. The only giveaway would be her red hair, but Eclipse was fine with that.

* * *

Everyone was in position.

All their efforts were combined to make this moment happen. In only a matter of minutes, the technology developed with their laser drill would reveal whatever secrets this block of black rock held. They never questioned why they had to do it, but only knew how much worse off they would be if they didn't.

"Fire it up!" someone, a chief of staff, said. "One hundred and seventy four gigawatts – 'The power of the sun at your fingertips.' Now aim that drill and let's get cutting! Our executive will be observing this personally, so get this done right!"

Eclipse couldn't believe her eyes. The drill – a laser drill, to be exact – was a monster. It looked big enough when she saw it from the upper floor, but now that she was looking at it up front, she could see how intimidating the machine really was. Mounted on a base of three steel supports was a beam turret, with its barrel aimed directly at the black ore and maintained by an army of workers.

Silently, she hid herself on the sidelines where the spotlights couldn't get to her. As well, this would lessen the risk of getting detected by the 'executive' who was apparently in the vicinity. To be honest to Eclipse, everyone was too preoccupied watching the laser drill being energised by 174 gigawatts of power. Kneeling behind a container with the e-Scope Lens on, Eclipse observed quietly.

Eventually, the laser drill let out a burst of bluish-white energy concentrated into a single beam. The beam hit the edge of the black ore and, to Eclipse's surprise, was taking its time trying to burn its way into the ore. In spite of the mass amount of power forced onto the ore, the ore itself was holding strong.

The scene was unfolding, and whatever intelligence Eclipse could grasp from this, she hoped it was worthwhile.

_I'll never know how long this will take,_ she thought. _Nine hours until my shift is done. Nine hours until the 40__th__ hour…_

She could have been using this time to gather intelligence elsewhere while everyone was busy, but this was an opportunity that was too good to pass on. Given the amount of energy put into the laser drill, Eclipse expected it to be very quick.

Quietly, she snuck closer to eavesdrop on some nearby conversions.

"We have detected a few objects of interest from this rock," someone, a researcher, said to a co-worker. "The exec wants to see what we'll dig up."

_An object, huh?_ Eclipse thought. _Let's see what they've got._

* * *

The drilling alone had taken up an hour up to now, and although it seemed like a huge waste of time, Eclipse was very glad that she arrived earlier. Researchers had blocked off the doors, and standing at the doors was a handful of PFA agents. Eclipse guessed they were reinforcements from earlier; the ones Looker had reported about.

Throughout the process, she took the opportunity to examine her surroundings. There really wasn't a lot to see as most of the space was occupied by the black ore, anyway. The laser drill had burned a huge hole into the ore, but Eclipse was surprised at how resilient the ore was. However, Eclipse realised that this wasn't the first time she had seen such an object.

_That's not just an ore_, she thought. _Where have I seen that before?_

Her memories drifted back to Veilstone City, as a Team Galactic commander. More than often she would return to the Team Galactic headquarters to receive assignments from Cyrus, albeit that was in the past. The thing was, Veilstone City had plenty of sites that populated various parts of the city.

Eclipse let out a sigh. Sure, she had no desire to think of her past life again, but this case was unavoidable.

Meteorites were in Veilstone City. Likewise, what Eclipse was seeing extracted before her eyes was a meteorite.

"All hands. Stand down," the chief of staff announced. "Carefully take what we've found and run an inspection on it. Have it prepared and refined for the exec in exactly two hours."

Eight hours remained on the clock for her, but Eclipse was feeling tired. At this point, she had to remind herself of her objectives which was to look for the empty areas in the foundry to complete the IPI's layout. As well, she had to look for evidence of bomb manufacturing. But as far as she was concerned right now, what was inside the ore was of interest. She watched the workers, in protective suits, rushed into the ore and carefully excavated a raw material from it.

* * *

**Whew! This chapter was massive! Can't even remember how long it took for me to write this! Review, please! Favourite! Follow!**


	18. Appeal to the Past

**I think I owe deviantpokemontrainerjay a huge debt for not updating this story - and I blame myself! I've been so focused on writing Culinary Rivals that it's kind of hard - if not impossible - to write two massive stories at the same time. You know, if only I could have a ton of time for that! Argh! It's so frustrating that my day is limited to 24 hours. To compensate, I've made this chapter long.**

**Hmm and I still have yet to find a way to make this story a little more humorous, and that is going to take some time.**

* * *

_**Chapter eighteen: Appeal to the Past**_

At least she could count on the night to help conceal her activities. Eclipse could understand this as she still watched the workers begin closing procedures, and that she would have to keep a close eye on what material the PFA were interested in.

In the brief moment of excavation, Eclipse used her e-Scope Lens to magnify her vision and allow the gadget to do its work to identify the material from far away.

_What is that?_ Eclipse thought.

It looked like some kind of pink stone, but she wasn't sure. Ensuring that this would count as intelligence, Eclipse took a quick picture with her gadget so that the IPI could study it. What followed after were more workers going in to dig out more material, but of different colours. Eclipse continued to take more pictures, but she kept her eye on the pink stone.

Silently, Eclipse stayed where she was as she kept her position hidden. She would only move when everyone else was moving, and at this moment in time, they were still not moving – save for the workers carrying the curious pink stone. She no longer was wearing the outfit of a guard, and had to rely on stealth (and her black investigator's coat and black pants to help her).

In the interests of intelligence, and duty, Eclipse made it essential that the IP knew what this was all about. Looker had rendered it suspicious when he first saw it, so now Eclipse decided to see the investigation to the end.

The problem Eclipse now faced was how to gather more information on the stone.

* * *

Now, almost two hours later and approaching the 34th hour, Eclipse had been following the same workers to a laboratory. They had carried the pink stone there, and so she had to wait until they were completely done with their work. Following them wasn't easy, as they had taken a separate route that required bypassing many researchers who were frequently rushing through the halls. However, she knew the researchers didn't know they were being followed by her. She kept her position in the shadows.

If it wasn't for Emma to guide her via security cameras, who knows how she could have gotten so close?

It also meant she had two hours before the guards she had knocked out would regain consciousness. However, she reminded herself that they were incapacitated enough as they were already. For now, she had to focus on gathering whatever intelligence she could get.

That is, to remind her of her primary objective and priority: to find evidence of bomb manufacturing. The good thing was that she had access to the three-dimensional layout to assist her. Knowing that the empty areas on the map were most likely going to hold evidence, she would have to make her way there. Six more hours, she had six more hours, of which she was likely going to have to use one to get out of foundry.

At the point she had approached the laboratory door, Eclipse found out that it was locked tight. Upon hearing the sound of approaching footsteps – likely researchers – Eclipse decided to slip away. Only to bump into a researcher.

"What are you doing here?!" a researcher exclaimed. "You're not allowed to be here!"

"Be quiet," Eclipse shot back. "There are people working here."

"Where are you from –?"

Eclipse acted quickly. She tackled the researcher by seizing his shoulders whilst forcing him away from the area. She knew the commotion that would happen were she discovered right now and it would be anything but covert. After that, she brought a blow to his head against the wall, and knocked him out.

She could feel some sweat roll down her face, but silently threw him into a storage room. There was no way he would be able to recover that quickly. Eclipse hated using this kind of force, but it had to be done. To be safe, she tied up the researcher and locked the door.

"Just excuse me for that," she muttered into her mic.

"_You just _had_ to do it, didn't you, Mars? Looker will be heading out in two hours,_" Emma reported. "_He's preparing a boat right now, and talking things over at the command post._"

With six hours to go, and less one for escaping, Eclipse considered looking for the 'empty areas' to complete the IPI's layout. As Looker put it, they were areas neither the security system could identify. Again, they were potential bomb manufacturing areas, which was what the IP needed to know.

Eclipse deduced that the bomb manufacturing area simply had to be near the laser drill, if not in the more secure areas.

However, before she could get to that, she needed more information on this pink stone. Unfortunately, there was still the door to get past.

But then, Eclipse was reminded of Atelier's words to her.

"_You could also listen in on their conversations, even if there's a wall or window between you_," he said. If she ever needed to use her e-Scope Lens Mark VI, now was definitely the time. She lowered the sunglasses over her eyes, and then she saw the door as a series of identifications and details. She also saw wave frequencies as well, and knew that something was going on behind.

"_The preparations are completed. Get the exec and let's get this over with._"

"_Sample testing has revealed this stone to be a source of power, but specifically of a certain type. We will need more information later._"

"_Our exec should see to this personally. We've done all we can._"

Power? Now that was no surprise to Eclipse, but she hardly could make the connection. If she had more time, and if the coast was clear, she would have taken a closer examination of the stone. However, her objectives wouldn't wait.

_I'll have to come back later_, she thought. She wouldn't want to cause any more trouble, overall.

In the next two hours, she used the time to partially complete her objective, which was to investigate the empty areas on the layout. She was deep inside the foundry, and who knows when she would get another opportunity to get in? Getting in would require a guard's access, which Eclipse wasn't willing to risk doing again.

She turned off the volume on the radio she carried by the time she resumed sneaking around. Given she was on the ground floor, she could try her best to look at what might lead her to the unknown areas.

So she ended up checking the area where the bomb manufacturing was expected to be.

Unfortunately all this area had were more laboratories previously undiscovered by her and Looker, and within most of them were devoid of people. Those that did have people within, Eclipse had to quietly leave them to their business. She had risked enough trouble already. Running into another researcher, especially here, would spell the death of her.

_More labs_, Eclipse thought.

However, for one particular lab she had stumbled upon, Eclipse found something oddly suspicious within it. The laboratory had its lights off (no surprise, as it was nighttime), but even without her e-Scope Lens to assist her, Eclipse could see a glowing fiery-orange substance emitting from a counter across the room.

_Hmm_… Eclipse thought.

Using night vision, she closed the door behind her and skimmed the room for things that could be useful. The glowing substance was contained in a glass container and, beside it, a lead-lined capsule. Eclipse knew better than to mess with unfamiliar and suspicious material, and so left the contents where they were, for now.

She also picked up a file folder that was laid open before her, and scanned it with her eyes looking for whatever might be useful.

As it happened, the word 'radioactive' was written in red ink for instant recognition, alongside some other identifying labels. There were codes and signatures written all over the document, but the files name was scribbled out.

_Radioactive_, Eclipse thought. _That's dangerous_.

Perhaps obtaining a sample of the material might be helpful for intelligence purposes. Eclipse checked for anything in the room that might give away her presence. As well, she checked for any sensors or systems that might also trigger alarms.

However, judging from the information on the file, the liquid material was uncontaminated, and they were trying to keep it isolated and handled with care as if they hadn't even conducted testing on it.

Silently, Eclipse looked around for whatever spare supplies she could find in the laboratory. An extra lead-lined box, a stopper, and a miniature glass bottle. If Eclipse was going to carry something awfully suspicious to examine it, she better not poison herself in the process.

Quietly, she removed the glass container from its place. Not knowing what to expect, Eclipse knew she had to make it quick. Not just because she risked being discovered by the PFA, but also because she might endanger herself by exposing the material to the air. She shook off that thought and poured a bit of the fiery-orange material into the bottle.

Thinking back to her Team Galactic days, Eclipse knew that certain criminal and terrorist organisations were very, very, stingy on their numbers.

The Lake Valor incident was a good example.

As Mars, she was very adamant against the idea to blow up a lake just to get to a cavern beneath the waters. Nevertheless, the plan went ahead and Team Galactic proceeded to manufacture the bomb needed to satisfy their mission. Given her position as a Commander, Mars had the liberty of watching the procedures unfold, including testing. To manufacture a bomb, there had to be a precise quantity of explosive readily available.

Now, as Eclipse, she used that knowledge to assist her now. If there wasn't enough material to test on, the alarm would be raised anyway. Moreover, the PFA was sure to keep an eye on the quantity of material being tested, or else there wouldn't be a large enough sample size. But perhaps there was a chance of excess?

Eclipse added two drops of the fiery-orange liquid into the bottle. Holding her breath, she put the container back into the exact same positon where she saw it first, and plugged the bottle with a sealed stopper. After that, she placed the bottle into the lead-lined box, and she put the box into her bag.

After that, Eclipse snuck out of the dark laboratory and checked the hallways to see if the coast was clear. As she left, she looked back at the container again. Its orange glow still stood out in the darkness.

* * *

But in the end, it really boiled down to heading back to the secure area – again – where the blast doors were located. That was the only remaining area she had to check up on, and she had no idea whether the bombs would be manufactured there. By process of elimination, they had to be.

_How am I going to get in there again? I'm not going to be as lucky_, she thought. She thought about using her radio to listen on incoming patrols, knowing time was running out and could hope someone would make their way to the blast doors…

She checked her timer. Four hours until her shift was over, but she had to leave one aside to actually escape, so that meant she was limited to three hours. Four hours until the 40th hour. Three hours until she had to get out. Looker would be heading to the waters at this time.

Realising that she might have to wait a while until someone would get in, Eclipse had to think about more ways of being productive. She had completed her surveillance of some empty areas for the layout, which revealed many laboratories the PFA had in store.

_I can't waste time just standing and hoping someone will go through_, Eclipse thought. But as she waited, Eclipse remembered that she really hadn't covered _everything_.

There was still the weapons depot. However, even so, it would take time to sneak out of the foundry and back to the platform leading to the weapons depot she had discovered at the start of her stint. Even so, Eclipse would run the risk of facing a legion of guards who might be waiting below. No… It would be safer to check out the secure area. Albeit not by much.

She had to ensure the guards she had taken out with knockout gas were further incapacitated. They would have woken up by now, and as Eclipse approached the blast doors, she could tell that any attempt to force them open would raise the alarm.

However, she suddenly remembered she had taken a guard's authentication for these blast doors in the first place. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the card to use it on the blast doors' scanner. The light on the side flicked green and the blast doors automatically parted. She minded her surroundings first, and then Eclipse walked in to head downward.

* * *

As a result, Eclipse quietly snuck aside to contact Emma. She put the e-Scope Lens over her eyes.

"_What do you want, Eclipse?_" Emma said as though annoyed.

Unintimidated, Eclipse replied, "I've acquired something – possibly dangerous – that may serve our intelligence purposes. I'll bring it back by the end of my stint and we can check it with the briefcase."

"_And did you find any of the bombs?_"

"I'm in the process of doing that now," Eclipse whispered. "I can't guarantee I'll find them, but this is the most likely place."

She made her way to the security room again, but taking care not to run into anyone else on the way. Eclipse peeked behind corners, used her e-Scope Lens to check for incoming hostiles, and even checked on the PFA leader's office of which its door was closed.

Silently, she proceeded to enter the security room to find the guards just coming round. However, with them being blindfolded, gagged, and tied, there was no way they would be able to let anyone know what was going on. The only problem Eclipse faced was that this would qualify as a 'missing' patrol, and expected the PFA to conduct a search for them. She closed the door behind her.

While she was at it, she examined the monitors and cameras for anything out of the ordinary.

"_If you don't find those bombs –_"

"I know, I know. I've got it covered," Eclipse shot back. She looked at the monitors again to ensure there coast was clear, but as she was in the secure area Eclipse was provided little cameras to gather real-time information on the area. She would have to rely on her senses to avoid any problems.

The cell phone was still on the desk, which Eclipse supposed was a relief to see. Knowing the little time she had, she took her laptop out of her bag and placed it on the desk. Suddenly, Eclipse felt like slapping herself. Why didn't she use this laptop earlier? Oh, right. It would raise suspicion already. Perhaps it would be wiser to use it at a better time. Atelier, after all, told her the laptop could seize control of entire electrical and security systems when used.

She powered it on to check its specifications. Lo and behold, there were a number of functions and programs Eclipse could use. One prominent one was to activate the cell phone to completely wipe out the electrical systems. That would have to be used later.

Eclipse also took opportunity to talk with the International Police Intelligence for the first time.

Not addressing Emma, she requested a channel to communicate with the IPI.

In response, she received a flat, cold, voice coming from the other end.

"_Hello, agent Eclipse. This is H_," said the voice. "_Your supervisor, and head of the IPI. What do you need?_"

"Regarding the current operation," Eclipse replied. "If you have anything about stones, that is, I would appreciate that."

"_What kinds?_"

"The kinds you could call 'unnatural'. I found the PFA extracting a pink stone from a black ore here. If you have any knowledge about this, that would be helpful. That is all."

After that, she bagged the laptop and prepared to sneak out of the room, whilst putting her e-Scope Lens back on her head so she could see a little more clearly.

_There has to be somewhere I've missed_, Eclipse thought. _Most of the areas have been discovered, but there's still no evidence that there are bombs made! Let alone hard evidence about Fiera. But there are still undiscovered parts – large ones – on this area._

She first started by creaking the door open, peeking out, and then closed the door behind her. Knowing the limited footage surveillance allowed, Eclipse started to survey the area carefully, in the hopes of finding a manufacturing area of some sort. She collected more details about the area as well, but it didn't help that there was a lot of lighting, which made Eclipse – in her black clothes – stand out.

She didn't dare investigate the PFA leader's office until it was safe for certain.

* * *

The elite Hoenn counter-terrorist team and tactical officers, armed with their ballistic shields, armour, and helmets, patrolled the area around the Battle Frontier command post more frequently than ever as night fell. IP officers conducted their duties to assist the counter-terrorists patrolling the rest of the Frontier. For the most part, the IP agents and officers in the command post had received no reports of any incidents.

In addition, the counter-terrorist team received reinforcements in the form of local Manectric – trained to support police operations. They were deployed at the request of the counter-terrorists themselves, and in the interests of security the IP endorsed the decision.

As the Trainers Village was still home to an IP base where Emma was located, the Hoenn counter-terrorists increased their presence around it as well, by order of the IP. So much for keeping things secret! Well, in a way, it was. The counter-terrorists had no business with the IP matters. What they were assigned to do was maintain patrol of the Battle Frontier. The tactical officers did likewise.

Emma, on the other hand remained on temporary standby as she continued monitoring Eclipse's progress via the computer in the briefcase. In the meantime, she was watching the news broadcast on the room's TV.

The report showed Hoenn police escorting civilians off the ferries in Lilycove City, with another counter-terrorist team on-scene with their gear, helmets, and ballistic shields to monitor progress. The media had parts of the ferry terminal surrounded and even had a helicopter to broadcast the scene. On the whole, the civilians were escorted to evacuation camps where they would wait for discharge.

As well, she could only provide Eclipse with only intelligence-related information for now. She had no access to surveillance where Eclipse was, and so couldn't help her, but she was sure Eclipse would be fine on her own.

_She does have experience with this as a convict after all_, she thought.

It still left Emma to wonder why someone like Eclipse – alias Mars – would be in the IP's interest at all. It was Looker who insisted on it, but she still didn't understand it completely.

"Give me your status," she said.

"_Can't talk right now,_" Eclipse whispered. "_I'm onto something._"

Emma shrugged.

However, there was a more pressing concern at hand.

The IPI had released a report for her, Looker, and Eclipse via secure channel. Based on the description, the intelligence officers refused to spare details, but gave the premise that the laser drill described by Looker and Eclipse had technical specifications matching a drill of the same scale at the Nacrene Museum in Unova – albeit the drill was a lot smaller than that of the one witnessed at the foundry.

However, the museum was the target of a bombing by terrorists – suspected to be PFA – and the museum was cordoned off as a result. By the time Nacrene City police could move in, the drill was nowhere to be found.

According to information gathered by IPI officers, the drill was built as a prototype and none were in production. Originally intended for excavating nearby treasures that were embedded too deep within caves neither human nor Pokémon could dig into, the drill had never even been tested.

What did worry the IPI was, based on Looker's description of the sheer size of the drill, if the drill could be weaponised as well. As it was in the hands of terrorists, the damage it could do would be inconceivable, and frightening. Perhaps that was enough grounds to conduct a raid, but alas, the investigation was ongoing, and there were still 58 hours on the clock.

* * *

Eclipse held her breath.

She had no idea how she had gotten here, but she did know that she was well underground on a level lower than the secure area. Wouldn't that presuppose this place was supposed to be more secure? She had to get past a sealed door to do it, but thankfully the authentication she stole from the guard she knocked unconscious allowed her clearance.

Albeit Eclipse wasn't surprised, since this _was_ the thing needed to get past the blast doors in the first place!

The elevator made little noise as the doors parted to let her out. It was fortunate that there was no one in the area, but there was plenty of lighting. On instinct, she had to look quickly for cover to avoid being spotted in a highly secured area. There were only some desks on the side, so Eclipse dove for cover behind one. Quietly, she scanned the area for anyone nearby.

The area was huge: it was roughly the size of the area above with the laser drill.

_But no cameras? That is weird_, she thought. _No wonder this area doesn't show on surveillance._

Ensuring that it was safe, Eclipse slowly stood up to look around. For the most part, it was definitely not a laboratory, but it wasn't an office either. There was another desk with a folder on it with no lamp, and, behind a screen, a huge machine that seemed the size of half the laser drill.

She picked up the folder to gather more information.

_Only research on a… 'Project Fusion'? What is this?_ The name, perhaps, was suspicious. But the file inside was a blank. There were little details. The only thing that looked useful was the timeline written on a separate paper within it.

_They only started researching this two weeks ago_, Eclipse thought. _Only three days ago they starting testing certain samples, but that's all to be said. They also tested them at ridiculously high temperatures too, like lava found at Stark Mountain._

She put the folder down and continued to see what else she could get out of this secure area. The only thing, though, was the massive machine in the room. It looked like a bowl at first glance, and since it wasn't active, Eclipse didn't dare approach it any further. Wait, there was heat radiating from all around it. Was this where the tests were done?

She made a note of that. The IPI would have to know about this.

Elsewhere, she went around the machine to see what else what she could take away. There was a conveyor belt with nothing on it, and at the ends of the belt were shutters that apparently led to another area. Another undiscovered area.

And plus, the belt was moving too.

And something was on it.

_That's not – It's – It looks like some kind of circular container. A big one_, she thought.

As a foundry and a refinery, it was no surprise to Eclipse that there were pipes of all sorts scattered around the room. However, it struck Eclipse as odd that the refinery was active, as if it were injecting fuel into the conveyor belt as the container made its journey to the other end of the belt.

But what became more suspicious was that a plastic container of the exact same appearance and size appeared shortly after the first one Eclipse saw. Seeing the belt moving, Eclipse figured it simply had to lead somewhere. These things might be worth investigating.

So what Eclipse did was, after some careful consideration, jump onto the conveyor belt itself and see where it would lead. If her suspicions were correct, this was explosive that was ready to be contained within a bomb. She made sure her clothes and bag weren't catching onto the machinery, and used her e-Scope Lens' night vision to check for anything dangerous that might be lurking in the dark.

Her body was in crouching position, and Eclipse watched where the belt would take her. She didn't stick too close to the container, as she had no idea what would happen to it later on. It would be safe to say that she wouldn't be detected by any cameras at this point, since she would have been spotted and helped by Emma in the first place.

* * *

It had taken a long time for the conveyor belt to reach its destination, and Eclipse was uncomfortably in a long, pitch-black tunnel. She had no idea how long she had been in here, but at the end Eclipse saw it.

It helped to know that the plastic of the containers was transparent, so Eclipse could see what was inside. But there was nothing particular about what was inside it. It was just a red ball.

A huge clearing at the end, and in that clearing, a series of mechanical devices were working on the containers. They added steel parts to the package along with circuits and power units. As well, there was a number pad attached to each container and at the very last moment the red ball in the middle flashed a bright red before it was contained in its metal surroundings.

The flash nearly blinded her, but as her eyes readjusted to normal vision again, she took in the details.

_This must be it_, she thought.

Aware that there might be people here, Eclipse quietly rolled off to the side to take cover. She continued to observe what was going on before her – the manufacturing of the bombs. There could be no doubt. The sounds of metal parts fixing onto the containers and shattering sizzle of them welded to them were a little disheartening to see and hear.

She watched the process unfold on the conveyor belt, and using her e-Scope Lens tried to analyse what she could from the area. First, a conveyor belt with a ton of machinery working on the bombs. At the end of the belt the bombs were deposited onto an ascending ramp. Oddly, there were no PFA agents around working either. Materials needed to construct the bombs came from shifting platforms moving in and out of supply caches on the side. At the end, there was a doorway, without a door, that led to where the bombs were deposited.

_If I tried to sabotage the place now, that would be anything but smart_, Eclipse thought.

But as a trial run, she snuck up to one of the finished bombs preparing to ascend up the ramp. With her EMP fountain pen in hand, and aiming at the target, she pressed down on the micro-trigger and felt the slight shudder of a pulse being launch. Like a Pokémon firing a Dragon Pulse, an EMP was shot and short-circuited the bomb.

At least it was effective. No way could the EMP cause the bomb to explode and incinerate her.

_One is enough_, she thought. _I have to get out of here now._

There was no way back to the massive machine in the previous room, though Eclipse could tell it wasn't smart at all to be re-enter a high security area to begin with. So, the only way was to go forward, where the upward ramp and the cache of completed bombs were.

Indeed, when she arrived there, but not before checking for people inside, she found the bombs being organised into neat rows in the given space by moving floorboards. This made her anxious, though, as she was in the place that was literally her objective. Looker will need to know this, but wasn't he already on his way to the foundry by boat?

_This number of bombs would make one think there's a war going on_, Eclipse thought.

She made note of her location and tried to find a way out. But as it happened, there was another elevator that seemed to take her up above. It was a huge platform that covered a vast enough area, and strong enough to carry multiple bombs up. Eclipse figured it just had to lead her somewhere with an exit. Otherwise, how would the PFA transport these bombs?

Eclipse waited for the platform to start moving…

* * *

Eventually, she ended up in someplace extraordinarily familiar.

_This is… There's no way!_

There were flame bombs and batons lined up against the walls, and right when Eclipse walked off the platform the platform itself locked into place. It helped to know that the platform's design was identical to the floor around it and fitted so flush that it was almost invisible. No way could Eclipse have seen this at all.

It was the weapons depot.

_It's so totally obvious! Obvious, obvious, obvious!_ The thoughts rang with anger in her head. But she had no time to be angry with herself. There were four who were walking about the depot, and behaved as if they were doing inspections.

She checked her timer. It was the 39th hour. She had to get out and rendezvous with Looker immediately, or risk going overtime.

Worse was there was also the matter of getting out of the weapons depot itself. Eclipse knew that it was the dead of night and there would be guards and searchlights patrolling the courtyard about. It would take a miracle to get out.

But as a former commander trained under Team Galactic, Eclipse – otherwise known as Mars – was experienced and trained to deal with these situations. This included making sneaky getaways in plain sight.

This included her experience in the Valley Windworks in Sinnoh, when she was campaigning with Team Galactic to steal power for their needs. After losing to Dawn and Lucas, who happened to be there in the nick of time, Mars had to order a retreat from the windworks.

And somehow. _Somehow_. She and all the grunts had managed to make a clean escape, even if they were defeated, and even if there were police hot on their tails.

Except now, she was a part of the _International Police_. No longer the hunted; she was the hunter.

* * *

**Favourite and follow, please!**


End file.
